{"id":555,"date":"2014-09-10T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2014-09-10T11:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/africa\/?p=555"},"modified":"2016-10-28T14:10:34","modified_gmt":"2016-10-28T13:10:34","slug":"personal-care-products-booming-in-east-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/africa\/2014\/09\/10\/personal-care-products-booming-in-east-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal care products booming in East Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Something I find amusing is that most African women use not only hair extensions but also wigs. I went to a Nakumatt<\/a> supermarket in Nairobi, and I was amazed at the space dedicated to wigs! Women change their hairstyle so often that at times I’ve a hard time recognizing faces. This is but an indication that personal care products are one of the booming markets<\/strong> in East Africa. Other growing markets are South Africa and Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\"Hair<\/a>
Hair extensions and wigs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This growth is driven by a growing population<\/strong> \u2013 and in particular, the fastest growing middle-class population in the world \u2013 increasing urbanization, and improved business regulation,<\/strong> according to a report by Roland Berger<\/a>. In fact, these factors are behind the general growth of fast moving consumer products in Africa. A KPMG report<\/a> indicates some additional drivers: Africans’ willingness to spend<\/strong> a proportionately large share of their incomes on beauty products<\/strong> due to their greater exposure to Western culture, improving levels of education, the youthfulness of the population, and the rise of female independence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Important challenges to penetrate this market<\/strong> include:<\/p>\n