At an estimated $3 billion, Nigeria’s makeup industry is large, but over the past year of COVID-19, how women engage with that market has evolved, mostly declining but more importantly, the consumption pattern has changed significantly.
The facemask would smear makeup, but it does not mean women have stopped using it altogether. The products and preferences have simply changed. Yet, cost of makeup has been increasing, not because of demand but due to dollar-naira exchange rates as most products are imported.
Social events and gatherings may have become limited, but, when women attend, their appearances have not stopped being important. When the full array of makeup is used, face-shields are preferred to facemasks, but for many women, the facemask is their everyday reality and now determines the choice of makeup. For some makeup types and producers, the new normal has been a loss, but for others, a win.
Johnny Anankpeli, e-commerce manager for House of Tara, says the facemask hit the makeup industry hard, especially for the foundation products, because it stains the mask. He however observes a trend where demand for lip-gloss had increased, while that of lipstick had declined. As he explained, when women take off their facemask, they can easily replace the lip-gloss without having a smudged mask.
The use of facemasks as a safety measure against the spread of coronavirus has made women shift their attention to eye make-up products such as eyeliners, eye pencils, eye shadows, mascara and matte lipsticks instead of glossy lipsticks and full facial products such as foundation, contour and concealer.
For Felicia Akinwunmi, a lawyer, it has been one year since she wore her full makeup routine. “I had to stop because each time I wear my facemask, it is either the makeup stains or half of it is removed. I just had to stick to using powder, eye pencil and eyeliner,” she says.
Felicia also observes that her new routine makes it cheaper for her to buy makeup products than before.
Apart from the rising focus on facial products, another notable trend is the rise of do-it-yourself beauty care. The pandemic made women forgo the services of makeup artists by learning it themselves because of concerns about close physical contact.
“For most makeup artists, it really slowed down the business as most of our works are based on weddings, birthdays, etc. But it is gradually picking up,” Ijeoma Okolie, a makeup artist, states.
For the foreseeable future and perhaps beyond, some in the makeup business have recommended that makeup companies should produce products that are less likely to smear when used underneath things like facemasks.
“I think most makeup companies should look into products that will last longer and are smear proof for clothes,” Anankpeli notes.
Gbemisola Adebayo, CEO of Hegai & Esther Cosmetics, notes that although the business of makeup is still very vibrant, what has changed is how people now communicate with the industry.
“There has been a behavioural change in the way people now wear makeup and the use of makeup professionals,” Adebayo informs BusinessDay.
Research has shown that women tend to use makeup, a part of the beauty and personal care industry in order to appear more attractive, confident, sociable, assertive, and hide skin problems.
Africa’s biggest economy with a mostly young, urban, and female populations means beauty products have plenty of scope for growth, especially in terms of exciting new products. Estimates by Euromonitor International, a business intelligence company, put the worth of Nigeria’s beauty and personal care market at $3 billion.
In Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, the story is the same, and like other parts of the country, make-up artists continue to groan over lost revenue dues to COVID-19 restrictions. Ladies too are adapting either by changing their makeup types or abstaining.
Prisca Anyadoh, an Abuja resident, had to cut down her expenses on makeup and abstain significantly from its usage, saying, “Make up is a beauty enhancement and helps build my confidence but since March 2020, I stopped wearing makeup to work or even church because I wear facemask frequently.
“Before COVID I make up virtually every day but since the pandemic I don’t make up at all unless for special occasions.”
Jessica Jonathan, a makeup artist, laments zero percent revenue during the lockdown and low patronage after ease of the lockdown, recalling, “The lockdown period was a down moment, people were going out but were not interested in making up. Revenue went to zero for six months.”
Most people who were enthusiastic about making up with makeup artists lost interest and began making themselves up, unless for special occasions like wedding ceremonies, she says.
“Prices of make-up products have skyrocketed due to rise in dollars but people still buy after complaint but sales is not as much as before the lockdown,” she states.
Jonathan discloses that most ladies now prefer spending on skincare than make up and would rather go for less expensive products. This buttresses a sentiment expressed by Anyadoh that “make up sometimes spoil the facial skin, and these few months of abstinence has helped my skin look finer and fresher.
“The pandemic has helped me gain confidence without using make up.”
