Makeup makes a comeback in Mideast as pandemic ebbs

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — While pandemic style saw people put on pajamas and their hair up in a bun, 2021 is more about mascara and lip liners — and makeup sales in the multibillion-dollar Mideast market are beginning to improve.

For women in the region — and particularly the Gulf Arab states — makeup is one of their biggest expenditures, offering an opportunity for expression even to those who cover their hair and part of their face with black veils.

After a pandemic sales slump, analysts predict the Middle East makeup market will grow by as much as 5% over the next five years, even as sales in some parts of the world continue to slow.

Drawing on those trends, Dubai — the glitzy citystate that is part of the United Arab Emirates — has been hosting a number of events and celebrities. Among them was Mario Dedivanovic, known for doing Kim Kardashian’s makeup, who hosted a talk on the future of beauty over the weekend. With more than 9 million followers, Dedivanovic is one of the most influential makeup artists currently on the scene.

“Dubai is such a cosmopolitan city, Dedovanovic told The Associated Press. He said makeup artists in Dubai are “doing everything at the same pace that ... it is being done in Paris and Milan and London.”

The makeup industry was worth $4 billion in the Middle East even in the pandemic, according to market research group Euromonitor International. But the virus hit it hard with the surge in working from home and cancellations of many social events such as weddings.

Pandemic-related job losses also meant less disposable income.