Why the region’s obsession with oud, skincare, and wellness could reshape global beauty as we know it
A quiet beauty revolution is underway – and it’s not happening in New York, Paris, or Seoul. It’s playing out in the malls of Riyadh, the spas of Marrakech, the start-ups of Dubai. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), a region long regarded as a cultural crossroads, is now one of the fastest-growing and most intriguing players in the global beauty market.
The numbers are compelling: according to Euromonitor International, the MENA beauty and personal care market is projected to hit US$60 billion by 2025, up from roughly US$46 billion today. That’s not a blip – that’s a boom.
What to Know About the Region
If you want to understand why MENA is having a beauty moment, start with the demographics. More than 55% of the region’s population is under the age of 30, compared to just 36% in OECD countries. This is a region powered by Gen Z – digitally fluent, brand-savvy, and unapologetically image-conscious.
But this isn’t about copying K-beauty or Western trends. What’s different about the MENA market is howe rooted it is in cultural specificity. Social media may amplify the conversation, but the ingredients, rituals, and aesthetics are proudly local.
And increasingly, consumers want brands that reflect that.
The New Luxury
Of all the beauty categories thriving in MENA, fragrance remains king. And not just any fragrance – oud, musk, amber. Scents with centuries of cultural cachet.
In the Gulf, fragrance isn’t a finishing touch; it’s the ritual. Men in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries spend an average of US$83 a month on perfume, while women sped about US$74, according to Chalhoub Group. And this isn’t one-bottle minimalism – layering is the name of the game. Shower gels, hair mists, body oils, and eau de parfum are all part of the routine.
That intensity translates into serious market value. According to Future Market Insights, the global oud market alone is projected to hit US$7.21 billion by 2032, with UAE and Saudi Arabia responsible for the lion’s share. It’s little wonder that heritage brands like Amouage (founded in Oman) and niche darlings like Huda Beauty’s Kayali are being snapped up internationally, and why Estée Lauder, Coty, and LVMH are all doubling down on their fragrance portfolios in the region.
The Skincare Surge
If fragrance is the cultural backbone, skincare is the new frontier. Long overshadowed by makeup in regional markets, skincare is now outpacing it in growth, especially post-COVID, as health and wellness mindsets converge with beauty routines.
“Skincare only represents 10 to 100 percent of the market in the UAE, compared to 33 to 35 percent and even up to 50 percent in some Asian markets. This presents a fantastic opportunity if we can change the behaviour of the people and raise awareness about the importance of skincare,” Patrick Chalhoub, Group President of Chalhoub Group, shared in an interview with WWD.
Even the ingredients tell a story: consumers want products that are clean, halal-certified, and effective, often favouring formulations with natural botanicals like rosewater, date seed extract, and black seed oil. In short, science is good, but nature still reigns.
Homegrown Heroes
Once dominated by French and Korean imports, the MENA beauty scene is now firmly in its self-made era. A new wave of regional brands is rising – not just as alternatives, but as preferred choices.
Take Asteri, a beauty brand born in Arabia that blends bold makeup shades with clean ingredients and Arab packaging aesthetics. Or Shiffa Beauty, a Dubai-based skincare line that fuses medical science with Arabian healing traditions.
Retailers are catching on. Sephora Middle East has doubled down on local partnerships, and events like Sephora in Dubai draw thousands of beauty obsessives.
The demand is real – and growing. As Mintel reports, 79% of Saudi consumers say heritage is central to their identity. That’s not just a data point. That’s a market mandate.
“Beauty in the Middle East has always been deeply personal – rooted in ritual, sensory richness and self-expression,” Nisreen Shocair, Founder of Shocase, a platform committed to scaling purposeful fashion and beauty brands in the Middle East, and previously as CEO of NET-A-PORTER MENA, tells BurdaLuxury. “From traditional hammam treatments to the timeless use of kohl, beauty practices are woven into cultural identity. For many women, it’s also one of the few visible ways to express personal style or brand affinity, particularly as the face remains the most publicly visible part. There’s an extraordinary level of care in how it’s treated – through skincare, cosmetics, or aesthetic procedures – each choice deliberate and refined.”
Shocair points out that the fusion of these cultural practices with global minimalism has evolved. “Consumers are moving away from high-intervention routines like Botox and filler toward treatments that trigger cell regeneration, collagen production, and long-term preventative skin health,” she notes. “Permanent makeup – like tattooed eyebrows or lips – is being replaced by softer, more precise alternatives like powdered brows, lamination, or microshading.”
Brands are increasingly prioritising culturally and religiously relevant events in their calendars to tap into high-spending periods, which tend to cluster within just seven months of the year and span multiple age groups.
Another shift: the boundary between beauty and wellness is blurring fast: Consumers aren’t just shopping for glow – they want gut health, mental clarity, and sleep support.
MENA’s wellness market is growing in lockstep with its beauty one. According to Statista, the global wellness tourism region is set to reach US$1.35 trillion by 2028, and the MENA market will likely take a fair share of this.
Brands are responding with multifunctional products – face oils that calm the mind, serums laced with adaptogens, skin-massage tools marketed as stress relief. The region’s deep history with hammams, essential oils, and herbal medicine gives it a unique position in this space.
Shocair points to a new tier of aesthetic wellness sanctuaries that are reshaping the industry. These include Maison Santé, a refined wellness villa focused on hormonal health, aesthetics, and integrative care; ORA Wellness, a minimalist space dedicated to skin health and functional diagnostics; PEAQ, a boutique social wellness club offering cryotherapy, breathwork, Lagree fitness, and biohacking tools; Sage Wellness, a women-centric space rooted in sound healing, yoga, and nervous system regulation; and SIRO Hotel, which integrates wellness into every aspect of lifestyle, fitness, and social interaction.
“These venues signal a shift from standard salon or spa services to sanctioned sanctuaries – places where aesthetic care, longevity protocols , fitness and mental wellbeing coexist,” she says. “They reflect the rise of discreet, high-touch wellness experiences suited to affluent, privacy-focused clients, offering preventative, regenerative treatments in beautifully curated environments.”
The Omnichannel Equation
Here’s where things get really interesting. MENA is one of the most digitally connected regions in the world, but brick-and-mortar retail is still king.
E-commerce is projected to hit US$50 billion in MENA by 2025, and platforms like Namshi and Faces are expanding their beauty offerings. Yet malls remain cultural touchpoints – and essential distribution centres.
What does that mean for brands? Omnichannel isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s a must. Consumers expect digital convenience and immersive in-store experiences. Think smart mirrors, AR try-on apps, and beauty advisors trained more like content creators than sales reps.
Luxury beauty is thriving across the GCC. In 2023, the GCC luxury beauty sector reached US$12.5 billion, and it’s not slowing down. Part of that is thanks to growing wealth in the region – according to the World Bank, the GCC’s collective GDP could reach US$6 trillion by 2050.
But another key driver is tourism. High-net-worth visitors to Dubai, Doha, and Riyadh are spending on luxury skincare, spa treatments, and fragrance experiences. Duty-free counters are seeing a rebound, and “beauty tourism” is now part of the itinerary for affluent travellers.
What Comes Next
Perhaps the most exciting part of the MENA beauty story is what it signals for the global industry. For decades, beauty has been defined by Western ideals, then diversified by K-beauty and J-beauty. Now, A-beauty – is demanding its seat at the table.
But this isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about formulation innovation, ingredient sourcing, sustainability, cultural storytelling. Its about a generation of founders and consumers who no longer see global recognition as a goal. They expect it.
While local brands have an advantage – thanks to their deep expertise in the region’s traditions and cultural codes – global luxury players like Chanel, Hermès and Dior are tuning in too. “With massive R&D budgets, regional campaigns, nad mono-brand stores, they’re building deep local relevance and reshaping consumer expectations,” says Shocair. “Inclusivity in shade ranges, once a local strength, is now a global standard.”
As Dr. Bibi Ghalaie, Founder and Medical Director of Doctor Bibi Clinic in London, puts it, per Beauty Matter: “The Middle Eastern beauty aesthetic has become a mainstream and aspirational beauty ideal for both men and women globally. What is also very interesting is that, in my opinion, Middle Eastern individuals seem to know exactly how best to highlight and draw attention to their very best features, and in doing so, they complement their respective femininity or masculinity in such an elegant way.”
The Gen Z market in MENA is digitally fluent, brand-savvy and values-driven. “Unlike in some global markets where beauty discourse has become critical or polarised, here it remains joyful, aspirational, and proudly shared,” explains Shocair. “Consumers in the region genuinely champion their favourite brands and seek indulgence and care, not critique.”
BurdaLuxury’s Lens
To call MENA beauty market “emerging” misses the point. It’s already here, and it’s shaping the future of beauty as a whole. What we’re seeing isn’t a regional blip, it’s a fundamental realignment: of who gets to lead, who defines beauty, and where innovation comes from.
From prestige fragrance to clean skincare, from male grooming to digital-first wellness, MENA is no longer just a market to watch – it’s one to learn from.
Global brands would do well to remember: this isn’t about exporting beauty to the Middle East. It’s about recognising that, in many ways, beauty already lives here.
