My experience is that while the Caribbean is home to many global brands, from Hallmark to Starbucks to Bvlgari, we haven’t yet seen much investment in the beauty sector, which is why Fenty Beauty’s arrival is This is an exciting development.
Granted, the region doesn’t have a large consumer base, but population size only tells half the story.
The Caribbean is made up of more than 30 countries and territories and is home to approximately 44 million people. Most of those people live on large islands such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, each with a population of about 11 million people. Many of the smaller islands have significantly fewer inhabitants. Barbados, for example, has a population of less than 300,000. While it’s true that the region doesn’t have a large consumer base compared to the U.S. population of approximately 333 million, population size only tells half the story.
Caribbean consumers have been and are very active participants in the beauty industry. It’s just hard to track. “A lot of big brands don’t come to the Caribbean because they think we don’t have the brand spend,” says Chantal Martin, a Barbadian beauty influencer and content creator with Allure told. That’s at least in part because Caribbean beauty enthusiasts have had to get creative when it comes to acquiring the latest new products. It is not always possible to ship beauty products directly to the Caribbean. For example, neither Sephora nor Ulta will ship to islands that are not U.S. territories. Large multi-category retailers like Nordstrom and Macy’s offer a wide range of worldwide shipping options, but shipping to the Caribbean takes time and can be incredibly expensive upon arrival. There may be heavy import fees and customs duties, which are prohibitive for many people.
Then it becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. In addition to the lack of physical stores, products sent directly to the Caribbean are subject to high shipping and import duties, making Caribbean consumers more likely to purchase products when traveling to the Caribbean. Masu. An area where you can easily access your favorite brands. As a result, there is no evidence that Caribbean-based consumers are actually buying these products (trust me, they are!) and there is little incentive for brands to set up shop here. there is no.
And it’s not just about having your favorite brands and products available on the island. Lack of access to our market means many are missing out on the career opportunities offered by the multi-billion dollar beauty industry.
“When it comes to beauty, everything is trending fast, and if you don’t act soon, you’re missing out,” says Martin. “If[products]are not available on the island, I will completely miss the opportunity to participate in trending topics in such an ever-changing social space. there is no.”
As brands introduce broader, more inclusive shade ranges, shouldn’t that inclusivity extend to black and brown people around the world?
That’s not to say the beauty retail market here is completely barren. There are many affordable drugstore brands like Maybelline and L’Oréal, and you can pick up a variety of luxury fragrances at your local duty-free department store. There is also an emerging resale market where enterprising individuals buy products in bulk overseas and sell them domestically. But finding new products, especially from non-drugstore brands, remains difficult. For example, if you wanted to try out the 2024 release of Allure’s Best of Beauty Awards, you’d probably have to find a way to source most of it from overseas.
