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Kenya: Virus Crisis Jolts Women, Beauty Industry to Restrategise

Published

6 years ago

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It is said that the splendour of beauty is in admiring it.

But with the coronavirus crisis and associated lockdown holing up people in their houses, is donning cosmetics worth the time or money anymore?

Certainly not, if the current trend in the country and world over is anything to go by.

Primarily, cosmetics are meant to enhance good features while concealing the flaws and sometimes making the wearer younger and more attractive.

Nonetheless, Covid-19 restrictions seem to have reminded enthusiasts like Regina Wangeci, who wouldn’t fetch milk from the local kiosk without at least brushing some foundation cream over her cheeks, that it is normal to walk around with a freshly-washed face and bushes of eyebrows.

“Typically, cosmetics are donned when one is leaving the house. But with restrictions placed with the advent of coronavirus, why should we enhance our looks? We, therefore, have no motivation to replenish our beauty products,” Wangeci told the Saturday Nation.

LOW REVENUE

Esther Wairimu, a 29-year-old researcher, also does not go out without makeup. Well, that was two months ago because for the past one month since she started working from home, she has not used any makeup product on her face.

“I have a terrible acne, and each time I go out I have to use various makeup products to hide the blemishes. But now that I am not going out to the field, I quit all the products. Now I’m more into skin care routines and researching on how to deal with the acne instead of hiding it under makeup,” she says.

It could be laudable for women to give a breather to their facial pores from the choking layers of powders and creams, allow nails to build thicker keratin and hairlines get replenished in such a rather compulsory break.

Such decisions as ditching facial ointment or nail extensions may seem just too personal, but it matters when millions of Kenyans already made similar decisions, costing a multibillion-dollar industry revenue.

It is evident that Covid-19 crisis has created a ripple effect in the lifestyles of people, more so their shopping habits.

“The lines are silent. When the Covid-19 cases were still low, we would still get calls coming in for appointments and people asking for products. Now we seldom get them. For that reason, I have not gone to work for the last one week.”

Maureen Nyaga is a skin care consultant at Fifth Avenue Hair and Beauty Salon in Nairobi.

ONLINE MARKETING

She sells face masks, creams, makeup removers, among others. “Before the pandemic, my schedule was tight. Clients were calling in for appointments while others were making consultations. After people started working from home, those calls went down, and most people would only call to consult. Now, even those are not coming through,” Nyaga says.

Unless something changes soon, she stares at a closure of her consultancy wing, a salon and spa. This means several livelihoods are at stake.

Cosmetic manufacturers, retailers and beauty service providers are facing daunting challenges, as customers increasingly employ do it yourself (DIY) services.

Linda Ndalira is a beautician who runs Sam Jay Cosmetics. “Two months ago, I had a list of clients who had booked for my services. Some had weddings and others photoshoots. Then there are walk-in clients. With the directive banning social gatherings, all the booked events were postponed. Due to my own protection and that of my clients, I closed my shop and resorted to selling products online,” she explained.

But her online business is not doing very well either. Most of her potential clients want advice on how to use DIY concoctions they have prepared at home.

On Jumia Kenya, an e-commerce site, makeup and fragrances are one of the least purchased products.

“More people are going for hair care products and less makeup and fragrances,” says Sam Chappatte, CEO Jumia Kenya, noting that the online business is picking well.

MODESTY

The beauty industry is deemed one of the fastest growing in the country, according to Beauty Kenya 2020, a Dubai-based organisation that seeks to link international brands to the local market.

“The industry has grown by 400 per cent in four years, from Sh26 billion in 2014 to over Sh100 billion in 2018,” the group says on its website.

Kenyans are now prioritising on what to spend their money on amid nationwide curfew, job losses, pay cuts and slow economic activities.