K-beauty brand Dear Dahlia eyeing major expansion in the Middle East to capture luxury beauty opportunities

The brand partnered with luxury beauty retailer FACES to enter the Middle Eastern beauty market earlier this year.

According to the firm, it is the largest luxury retailer in the Middle East that works with global luxury beauty brands including Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Giorgio Armani.

The retailer operates around 70 stores in eight markets in the region, including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

By the end of the first half of this year, the brand expects to be available in 36 stores. The second half of the year will be dedicated to expanding its presence to more markets, including Egypt, Kuwait, and Bahrain to solidify its position in the Middle East beauty market.

The brand’s deputy director Lee Na-rae said the goal was to establish Dear Dahlia as “a global luxury brand representing Korea in the ever-growing Middle East beauty market.”​

Founded by Grace Min in 2016, Dear Dahlia quickly became an ‘Insta-famous’ brand with its signature marble-and-gold aesthetic and tapped into the demand for 100% vegan and cruelty-free products.

All its products feature its proprietary Dahlia Variabilis flower extract, which claims to have antioxidant benefits. The products also contain Ecocert, COSMOS, and USDA-certified organic, plant-based ingredients.

Today the brand is available globally in leading retailers including Sephora, FeelUnique, Neiman Marcus and Galeries Lafayette.

A K-beauty hit

Since its launch, Dear Dahlia’s performance in the Middle East has been promising, said the firm.

It has topped the online and offline sales ranking for FACES in the UAE, Qatar as well as Saudi Arabia. The brand has also held successful pop-ups during the month of Ramadan.

Middle Eastern countries including UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have emerged as an important beauty market.

According to a report by the Korean Cosmetics Association (KCA), K-beauty has been on the rise in markets like Saudi Arabia, aided by Korean dramas and Korean pop.

A separate report noted an increasing awareness of environmental issues and health has driven the demand for vegan and cruelty-free products in the UAE, a market that is led primarily by luxury beauty products.

Dear Dahlia has been working to expand its range of reusable and refillable products and has plans to implement fully recyclable packaging designs by 2025. Furthermore, it is in the midst of developing new packaging materials sourced from biodegradable ingredients, such as coffee grounds, tree bark, and corn.

According to data published​ by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), Korea is the third-largest cosmetics exporter in the world, behind only the US and France.

The Korean cosmetic industry is predicted to grow in the second quarter this year despite the economic uncertainty, according​ to the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).