UK entrepreneur set to target Mideast anti-ageing market

One of the world’s fastest selling anti-ageing creams is set to hit the Middle East, Arabian Business can reveal.

Regional distributors are in talks with UK entrepreneur Eileen Mulligan to launch the “Nifty” brand in the next three months.

Already a hit with celebrities, Mulligan said the Middle East market was now the fastest growing for anti-ageing products.

“We have been growing for the last few years in Europe but all the research we have done points to the Arab world where we think the biggest growth is going to come. Not just for women, but especially male products for anti-ageing,” she said.

The first products likely to be in stories are Faitox, an alternative to Botox, a serum that contains ingredients to relax the muscles and combat expression lines, and StemCellin, a cream& emulsion containing apple stem cells, which stimulate the skin’s own stem cells to restore and rejuvenate the skin.

Also set for sales is the NIFTY Wrinkle Wand – an electrical wrinkle busting device the size of a pen.

Consumption of cosmetics and personal products in the region is now close to $3 billion a year and said to be strongest in the Gulf states, where average per capita expenditure is currently estimated to be $364 per person - one the highest rates in the world.

“We’re hoping to get a share of that, because the lifestyle and cultural habits are clearly changing. More and more Arabs are taking to personal grooming products, and our own research suggests that the market could grow by 20 percent in the next year. The key to our products is that they are non-invasive,” said Mulligan.Currently the products are only available by mail order through the company’s website, but Mulligan says talks are being finalised to place them in major retailers in the region. “It’s a step we have held back from in the UK, but the Middle East market is very different, and certainly has more potential in the coming years.”