The Industry Ministry is currently hosting the 2020 Virtual Cosmetics Expo until Nov. 29. Featuring 35 local cosmetics companies, the expo seeks to boost the productivity of small and medium industries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to antaranews.com, the expo will feature various activities, including a virtual fashion show, a business meeting, talk shows, online makeup classes by local cosmetics brand Wardah and coaching classes.

Gati Wibawaningsih, the ministry’s director general for small and medium enterprises, explained on Tuesday that the business meeting was aimed at encouraging partnerships between raw material producers and cosmetic companies to reduce imports of raw materials.

Meanwhile, the coaching classes will discuss various key topics for industry players, such as procedures for halal certification, product exports and social media optimization.

Gati said the event aimed to assist manufacturers in marketing their products, increase their competitiveness and add more value to local cosmetics brands.

"We hope cosmetics from small and medium industries can use this opportunity to increase their competitiveness and continue product innovation,” said Gati.

Skincare and makeup products have seen a significant increase in the past five years, with more local brands popping up, such as BLP Beauty, ROLLOVER Reaction and Mineral Botanic.

Read also: Indonesian beauty trends to look out for in 2020

Last year, katadata.co.id reported that the Industry Ministry aimed to expand the domestic cosmetics industry by 9 percent in 2019, 7.3 percentage points higher than in 2018.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the chemical pharmaceutical and traditional medicine industries, which include the cosmetics industry, experienced 5.59 percent growth in the first quarter of this year.

The manufacturing sector has also contributed significantly to Indonesia’s foreign exchange, with export values exceeding Rp 4.44 trillion (US$ 317 million) in the first half of the year.

Chrisanti Indiana, cofounder and chief marketing officer of integrated beauty technology company PT Social Bella Indonesia, said in January that interest in skincare and makeup products had increased significantly in the last five years. The company runs popular beauty e-commerce site Sociolla.

“[Beauty trends] have received more exposure recently because of social media and people have quickly become more interested,” Chrisanti said.

“Local products have featured more advanced, innovative technology, something that international brands have also pursued. [These brands] will continue to be competitive.”

However, amid the rise of local cosmetics brands, beauty enthusiast Affi Assegaf said international brands still dominated the industry as they were already established, while most newly launched brands in the country remained small-scale. (jes)

Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic.

Source: Jakarta Post

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