JIBE targeting more locally made beauty care products
Published:Wednesday | August 17, 2022 | 12:05 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
BEAUTY IS big business. However, the vast majority of the beauty products being sold in Jamaica are not manufactured locally, says Suzette Brown, coordinator of Jamaica International Beauty Expo (JIBE).
Guided by the theme ‘Business of Beauty’, JIBE served as the ultimate meeting place for beauty industry creators and providers to showcase their products and services to consumers over three days, ending on Sunday at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.
According to Brown, more local manufacturers of beauty products are needed to produce for the local and export markets, as most of what is being sold in Jamaica are imported, a narrative she told the more than 70 beauty exhibitors that JIBE intends to correct as part of reshaping the local landscape, to tap into the more than US$675-billion beauty care industry.
The industry comprises an array of products that are used on the body and face to enhance appearance.
“The majority of those products, unfortunately, are not locally made and we intend to play our part in changing that kind of narrative going forward,” Brown said of the bestselling beauty products in the Jamaican marketplace.
At the same time, the JIBE coordinator said that in 2019, the expo saw 106 exhibitors, a significant increase over the 60 assembled at the inaugural staging in 2018.
In recognition of the industry’s magnitude, Brown encouraged a greater understanding of how to meet customer needs and for players to upskill themselves in an effort to be more knowledgeable about their products.
“We are about the business of beauty and building an industry that is seen by too many as a hustle. A multibillion-dollar industry cannot be a hustle, and we need to recognise that,” she argued.
“We need to qualify ourselves, and we need to understand the importance of customer service,” said Brown. “We need to know our products, and who the players are in the industry.”