DUBAI — A new showcase of hand-picked brands from across the globe will answer the needs and wants of consumers with darker skin tones and curlier hair textures at next month’s Beautyworld Middle East exhibition in Dubai, as the spotlight gets set to shine on multicultural beauty.

Ready to Beauty is one of several show highlights at the region’s largest international trade fair for beauty products and wellbeing, and promises to take thousands of Middle East and African trade visitors through a ‘journey to discover the next big thing in multicultural beauty.’

Ready to Beauty will be located within the US pavilion at Beautyworld Middle East 2019, which takes place on April 15-17 April at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The dedicated feature is curated by US-based Dark Metier, and will present a wide range of products, from foundations and cosmetics with shades and formulas created specifically for high-melanin skin types, to hair systems that care for thicker, more textured curls.

Corey Huggins, Founder and Global CEO of Dark Metier, said the retail style set-up will appeal to the vast and diverse population prevalent within the wider region: “Ready to Beauty addresses the unique concerns and evolving tastes of the darker beauty consumer, featuring both cult favourites alongside emerging and niche brands alike,” he said.

“Its popularity will be underlined when trade visitors recognize that this particular version of beauty is finally being revealed and respected. Literally, attendees will be on a discovery journey to find the next big thing in multicultural beauty.”

Huggins highlighted some of the key brands that will be on display, including Camille Rose, a hair and skin care wonder from the USA, and Kenyan-owned Pauline cosmetics.

, one of East Africa’s leading makeup brands developed to be inclusive for all shades of Black.

“Ready to Beauty will be a virtual tour of the hottest and newest in beauty and lifestyle; a one-stop-shop focused on the most appropriate products for African, Latin, Middle East and South East Asian beauty.”

Huggins added that mainstream beauty brands are now slowly recognising the power of the multicultural market: “Big brands are starting to launch products that target the darker consumer, particularly in haircare, but there’s a difference between multicultural-suited and multicultural-specific beauty,” he said. “One is gratuitous in nature and the other is authentic. Without question, Ready to Beauty is unapologetically the latter.”

Ready to Beauty arrives at Beautyworld Middle East 2019 amid a growing preference for cosmetics and hair care suited to warmer skin tones and colors. According to industry estimates, multicultural women are also said to spend 80 percent more on cosmetics and nearly twice as much on skincare than other consumer bases. — SG