Beauty care products at the Dhaka International Trade Fair are not attracting buyers for their high prices, while cosmetics of foreign brands are dominating the fair, much to the frustration of local customers.
Traders were frustrated for lack of beauty care product buyers, while the latter blamed low quality and exorbitant prices.
Fair visitors said local cosmetics brands, such as Square, Keya, Cosco, Tibet and Aromatic, have no stalls at the fair this time.
Shana and her husband, Rubayet, were looking for local beauty products, but did not find any Bangladeshi brands. They told Dhaka Tribune that everything on sale at the foreign cosmetics stalls were expensive, and seemed fake.
College student Esmotara and her friend, Asifa, said they saw various cosmetics products, but most of the prices were high.
“We are going back home without buying any cosmetics.”
Around 30 stalls selling beauty care products at the fair belong to foreign companies, while only two to three unfamiliar local brands have set up stalls.
Foreign cosmetics brands that have stalls are from Korea, USA, UK, Japan, China, Pakistan, France, Germany, France, Thailand and India.
Rong, a locally made cosmetics brand, has a stall at the fair. But, the vendors at the stall expressed their frustration over poor sales.
Shakil, owner of Rong, said: “We have 50 types of local cosmetics. Despite offering 20% discount, our sales are very low and frustrating.”
“I don’t know what the buyers prefer,” he added.
Another beauty care product vendor, Sharif Uddin, said every day a large number of people come to his stall and check out the products and prices, but they leave without buying anything.
Shuvo, the owner of anything stall, said, “Market for cosmetics is going through its worst period. We are not satisfied.”
Asif Hossain, managing director of Colors cosmetics, said, ‘We are eagerly waiting for fair visitors to come and buy beauty products. We are selling only US cosmetics products. However, customers are very few.”
Some traders refuted the allegation of high prices, saying that personal care products, particularly for skin and hair care, are essential items that people will inevitably buy, no matter what the prices are.
Md Masum Sheikh, an importer of cosmetics items from Italy, said last year 50% of his Italian cosmetics were sold. But this year, sales are not even half that volume.