Shares dip as PZ Cussons declares Nigeria a ‘challenge’
PZ Cussons has released a trading update for the half year to November 30, 2018. The UK-based personal care manufacturer said that it seen a good performance in both Europe and Asia but trading remains a challenge in Nigeria. Shares in the company dipped five percent...
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UAE seizes 25 million counterfeit products annually
The UAE reportedly has around 25 million counterfeit products seized every year, with the Intellectual Property Department at Legal Group urging consumers to know their rights when buying products. With body care and cosmetics the main items seized in the region, it...
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Durex launches low-cost condom brand for South African market
Reckitt Benckiser-owned Durex has launched a new low-cost condom brand for the South African market, according to a report published by Bloomberg. The UK FMCG company’s new Feels label is a bold move, given that contraceptives are offered for free by public health...
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Beauty in 2018: Age – the new diversity issue
We started the year in the midst of a huge diversity and inclusivity drive and it’s shown no sign of abating since – we’ve celebrated all genders, all colours, those with disabilities, those with skin conditions – you name it, it’s been championed by a beauty brand....
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Darlie Global opens new US office as it prepares to market Dr Neem et al in North America
The US subsidiary of Dubai-based Darlie Global has opened a new US office in Long Island, New York as it prepares to launch its natural personal care portfolio onto the US market. Brands such as Dr Neem, Divine Care and Mr Darlie will continue to be produced from...
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Reality star Blac Chyna receives backlash for Nigerian skin whitening cream collaboration
US reality star Blac Chyna has received backlash on social media for the launch of her new skin lightening cream in Nigeria, in collaboration with controversial company Whitenicious. The cream, The Whitenicious x Blac Chyna Collection, which is said to ‘lighten skin...
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Saraya to invest US$10 million in Egyptian manufacturing facility
Japanese Saraya is set to invest US$10 million in a new cosmetics and pharmaceutical plant in Ain Sokhna, Egypt, according to a report published by Daily News Egypt. The new industrial complex, which will boast three factories and span some 20,000 sq m, is currently...
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Vegan beauty brand Note Cosmetics partners with Silverqueen Cosmetics to enter the Ghanaian market
Vegan cosmetics brand Note Cosmetics has partnered with luxury beauty supplier Silverqueen Cosmetics to enter the Ghanaian market. Having launched in Paris in 2014, Note Cosmetics is sold in 80 countries, with the Managing Director, Silverqueen Cosmetics Marwan Saouda...
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L’Oréal, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson et al sign global commitment to end plastic pollution
L’Oréal, Johnson & Johnson and Unilever are among some 290 organisations to sign a new global commitment to eliminate plastic waste and pollution at source. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment was officially unveiled by Ellen MacArthur at the Our Ocean...
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BASF expands foothold in sub-Saharan Africa
Chemicals maker BASF has announced it has developed its foothold in the sub-Saharan Africa with then planned opening of a state-of-the-art laboratory in Nigeria at the beginning of 2019. The company will be strengthening its local expertise in market research and...
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Boipelo Mabe partners with My Skincare on new vegan skincare line
Boipelo Mabe, former Miss South Africa, has partnered with My Skincare to launch a new vegan skincare range, named My African Skincare, according to IOL.com. The range includes body butters and a scrub made with ingredients derived exclusively from the African...
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Organo expands into South African market
Organo has announced it has expanded its foothold in the African market, having formally launched into South Africa. The nutrition and beauty company is now taking customer orders and new distributor applications, with Organo’s African headquarters and logistics hub...
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O Boticario launches oud-based scent for UAE market
O Boticario has developed an oud-based scent specifically for the UAE market, according to a report published by Zawya. Described as the Brazilian cosmetics manufacturer’s ‘first upper premium fragrance’ within the Malbec stable, Malbec Signature, as the scent has...
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We need more than you can produce: Unilever and PZ Cussons summoned to explain palm oil imports
Unilever and PZ Cussons met with the NAGB (Nigeria Agribusiness Group) in order to explain why they sought permission to import palm oil from Malaysia despite the presence of local producers in Nigeria, according to a report produced by Naira Metrics. The FMCG majors...
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Avon South Africa launches pop up stores to grow brand awareness
The South African arm of Avon has launched a range of pop up stores in the country in a bid to grow awareness of the brand, according to a report by Independent Media. Having launched its first pop up in the Sandton City Shopping Centre, it is the first in a series of...
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Maybelline New York announces Kenyan singer Victoria Kimani as new ambassador
Maybelline New York has announced Kenyan singer Victoria Kimani as its new ambassador, according to a report by SDE.com. Kimani is the first African artist to work with the brand and will join the likes of Gigi Hadid as the face of the L’Oréal-owned company. Sharing...
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J-beauty to benefit as Japan’s SBI Remit enables bitcoin payments to Africa
J-beauty brands are to benefit as major Japanese money transfer firm SBI Remit announced that it would allow its customers to send money to Africa using the Bitcoin blockchain, according to a report published by Live Bitcoin News. The new facility will be simpler and...
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L’Oréal invests in Partech Africa
L’Oréal has announced an investment in the fund Partech Africa, an investment fund launched earlier this year that is dedicated to the development of Tech projects in Africa. The amount was not disclosed. The relationship will allow the French beauty giant to forge...
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Unilever East Africa cuts deal for plastic recycling initiative
Unilever East Africa has forged a partnership with recycling company Mr Green Africa on a new waste management project within Nairobi, which will see the consumer goods manufacturer recycle plastic containers and reduce pollution, according to a report by Daily...
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Huda Beauty focuses on global expansion with new US president appointment
Huda Beauty has placed a greater focus on global expansion with the appointment of Nathalie Kristo as the new North American President, effective 1st October, 2018. Kristo’s position as new the leader of the North American arm is viewed as a way for the company to...
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South African farmers lobby for cannabis cultivation to be decriminalised
South African farmers are hoping that the government will revisit its stance on the legality of cultivating and handling hemp, according to a report published by The Citizen. The Cannabis Industry Development Cooperative of South Africa is keen to point out that a...
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O Boticario lands in Middle East with Dubai store
O Boticario has partnered with Millennial Capital to launch and build its presence in the Middle East, according to a report published by Gulf Business. The Brazilian cosmetics brand chose Dubai for its regional flagship. The City Centre Mirdif store opened at the...
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Procter & Gamble appoints new MD for Nigerian market
Procter & Gamble has named Adsil Farhat Managing Director for the Nigerian market, according to a report published by Naira Metrics. Farhat succeeds George Nassar, who announced his retirement earlier this summer. Farhat has worked across numerous senior roles for the...
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Unilever uses Lifebuoy brand relaunch to raise awareness of global hygiene initiative
Unilever has used the relaunch of its Lifebuoy brand in Nigeria to highlight its global initiative Help a Child Reach 5, while also announcing Afro-pop singer and songwriter Omawumi Megbel as the new face of the brand. The Help a Child Reach 5 campaign focuses on...
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Huda Kattan dismisses IPO for Huda Beauty wanting to make ‘impact’ not profit
Huda Kattan, Founder of Huda Beauty, has dismissed any idea of an IPO for her $1 billion cosmetics company, telling Arabian Business that her business motive is to make an impact, rather than make a profit. Referencing Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk’s recent IPO...
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L’Oréal West Africa cleans up on annual CSR drive
The staff and management of L’Oréal West Africa had a day out with a difference last week, according to a report published by Pulse News. As part of its annual charity day, known as ‘Citizen’s Day’, the team travelled to Accra’s La Beach for a litter-picking exercise....
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Souk trader hawks Lush goodies for nearly 10 times the RRP
UAE shoppers are being warned to stick to official channels to ensure they aren’t being ripped off after a trader on online marketplace Souk was found to be selling Lush products for almost 10 times their recommended retail price, according to a report published by...
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Keeping it local: Unilever Ghana to source packaging from domestic market
Unilever Ghana is hoping to up the percentage of packaging materials it sources from its home market, according to a report published by JoyBusiness. The Dutch FMCG manufacturer’s Ghanaian division currently sources some 80 percent of packaging material locally and is...
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Frutarom sees profit leap as it prepares for IFF merger
Frutarom has posted an impressive set of results for the first half of the year, according to a report published by Globes. The Israeli flavors and fragrances manufacturer saw sales grow 17 percent to US$401 million in the second quarter of the financial year versus...
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Israeli start-up NRGene joins forces with Swiss breeding company to better understand genetic make-up of cannabis
Israeli start-up NRGene has partnered with Swiss breeding company Pure Cannabis Research AG in order to analyse the genetic profile of cannabis in a bid to create sturdier plants that can produce plants better tailored to customer needs. The non-exclusive partnership...
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New survey said to signal Amazon’s imminent entry into Israeli market
A new survey conducted by Amazon is said to hint at the e-commerce giant’s planned entry into the Israeli market. Written in Hebrew, the survey targets Israeli consumers and thought to confirm previous reports the company will launch a shopping site in Israel....
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Nigerian media personality Toke Makinwa launches skin whitening skincare collection
Nigerian media personality Toke Makinwa has launched a range of skin whitening products, named Glow by TM. The star has been teasing the line via social media for some time, posing in nude photos, having created the range with California based beauty developer Buluwa...
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Ashland announces price increase for composite products in EMEA
Speciality chemicals company Ashland has announced an increase in its composite products in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) by 100 euros per metric ton. Effective 1st September, or as soon as contracts allow, the increase is said to have been driven by...
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Turkey doubles tariffs on US cosmetics imports in retaliation for Washington’s ‘deliberate attacks’ on the Turkish economy
Turkey has announced it is to double the taxes on US cosmetics imports in retaliation for the ‘deliberate attacks’ made to the Turkish economy by Washington, a continued escalation of a row with US President Donald Trump. Fuat Oktay, Turkey’s Vice-President, announced...
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Lock down: Dubai deletes 5,000 social media accounts in counterfeit crackdown
Dubai’s Department of Economic Development has closed down almost 5,000 social media accounts as part of a wider drive to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods, according to a report published by The National. The accounts in question boasted a combined following of...
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Unilever Nigeria: profit up 55 percent and sales soar 13 percent for 1H 2018
Unilever Nigeria has posted a strong performance for the first half of financial 2018, according to a report published by The Cable. After-tax profit was up 55.5 percent, reaching N5.72 billion and on track to reach N11 billion by the year-end. Profit growth is...
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Alibaba founder announces US$10 million investment for African entrepreneurs
The Founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, has announced a new contest designed to support Africa’s digital entrepreneurs. In total, the eponymous foundation will put forward a pot of US$10 million in funding. African start-ups will compete for US$1 million each year for the...
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Uganda creates four standards to promote shea nut exports
Uganda has created four new standards to promote shea nut exports in a bid to boost economy in the country. The new standards will be used at the local, regional and international markets and have been created by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and Uganda...
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Emami Group scouts out Iran entry
Emami Group is said to be considering a move into Iran, according to a report published by the Financial Tribune. “We are planning to enter Iran by the end of this year, and from the first quarter of the coming fiscal year we intend to start selling our products,”...
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Sokowatch to shake up Africa’s supply chain with US$2 million seed capital
Kenya-based B2B platform Sokowatch has closed a US$2 million seed round, which will enable it to transform Africa’s supply chain market, according to a report published by Tech Crunch. The round was led by 4DX Ventures, with Village Global, Lynett Capital. Golden Palm...
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Huda Beauty expands into new markets with fragrance launch
Cult beauty brand Huda Beauty is set to launch a new fragrance, as announced by Mona Kattan, Huda Kattan’s sister and partner in the Huda Beauty enterprise. The fragrance is a natural progression for the company, which launched in 2013, with Mona Kattan having created...
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Henkel opens first Beauty Care Lab in the Middle East
Henkel has cut the ribbon on its first Beauty Care laboratory in the Middle East region. The Dubai facility boasts state-of-the-art technology allowing the team to design and test beauty products specifically for local consumers and stands as a symbol of the German...
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Max Factor et al dump Kuwaiti influencer Sondos Alqattan over Filipino maid scandal
Max Factor has cut all ties with Kuwaiti influencer Sondos Alqattan after she posted a video to her Instagram account lambasting labor laws which grant Filipino workers limited employment rights, according to a report published by Gulf News. She has since stuck by her...
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Could Lebanon become the next country to legalise medicinal cannabis?
Lebanon is said to be considering the legalization of medicinal cannabis in order to boost the country’s economy, according to a report published by the Financial Times. The country could gain up to US$500 million per year if it decides to greenlight trade of the...
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E-Mart to open Scentence store in Saudi Arabia
South Korean retail giant E-Mart is set to capitalize on the growing popularity of K-beauty and open a standalone store for its own label beauty brand, Scentence, in Saudi Arabia, according to a report published by Pulse News. The store will be located in Al Nakheel...
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Miniso excels in Tanzania following January market launch
Japanese retailer Miniso is said to be excelling in the Tanzanian market following its launch into the country in January this year, with the company stating that the ‘blue ocean’ nature of the country is giving it a competitive edge. According to a company press...
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Amazon.com launches free international shipping to Israel, but it comes with a catch
Amazon.com has added a new option for free international shipping to Israel, however, the new feature comes with a catch. Only available for orders from Amazon and not third party sellers, the free international shipping also only applies to purchases over $80, which...
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Israeli firms join forces to create cannabis-based cosmetic products
Israeli manufacturer and developer of medical cannabis Together Pharma has joined forces with local skincare firm Premier Dead Sea Cosmetics Laboratories in a partnership that will see the pair develop a line of therapeutic and cosmetic products that contain both the...
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Edcon plans Red Square Cosmetics closures in attempt to boost ailing company
South African retailer Edcon has announced plans to close chains such as Red Square Cosmetics in an attempt to turn around the flailing company, with Red Square being renamed as Edgars Beauty and being housed inside the main Edgars stores in malls. The decision is...
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Nokware Skincare launches new sustainable bamboo packaging
Organic skincare brand Nokware Skincare has announced it is to switch to sustainable bamboo packaging in response to growing consumer desire for zero waste packaging options. Focused on carving out a niche in the ‘pan African’ beauty market, Nokware is developing its...
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