Beautyworld Dubai 2026: How the Middle East Is Reshaping Beauty, Fragrance and Packaging

From 6 to 8 October, ISEM Packaging Group took part in Beautyworld Dubai 2026, one of the key international meeting points for the beauty and fragrance industry and an important platform for understanding the evolution of a region that is playing an increasingly strategic role in the global luxury market.

We participated through ISEM EGISA Middle East, ISEM Packaging Group’s regional platform, which combines more than 25 years of experience in the Middle East, built through EGISA, with four years of direct commercial presence in Dubai. This established regional footprint enables us to stay close to the market, understand its evolving expectations first-hand and connect local needs with the broader expertise, solutions and industrial capabilities of ISEM Packaging Group.

Over the three days, we engaged with approximately 100 industry professionals from 22 countries. Their increasingly well-defined expectations for packaging offered a first-hand view of a market in transformation. Beautyworld was not simply a visibility event; it was an opportunity to listen directly to its players and gain first-hand insight into how their needs and ambitions are evolving.

The 2026 edition took place at a time of significant change in the region’s luxury sector. Alongside economic growth and rising consumption, the market’s composition is also evolving: regional brands with their own distinct identities are gaining ground alongside major international players, while local traditions, aesthetic codes and rituals are gaining increasing visibility beyond the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

The wider market data help put these first-hand observations into context, revealing what this transformation means for premium and luxury packaging.

A Growing Market with New Competitive Dynamics

Let’s start with the latest figures: beauty continues to be one of the most dynamic segments of the luxury market in the region. According to the 2026: GCC in Focus – Middle East Beauty Market study, produced by BeautyMatter for Beautyworld Dubai, the beauty market in the Gulf countries reached USD 14.3 billion in 2025, with forecasts indicating growth to approximately USD 21 billion by 2030.

Figures for the prestige segment also confirm this trend. According to Chalhoub Group Intelligence, the GCC prestige beauty market reached USD 2.4 billion in 2024, up 12% compared to the previous year. Fragrance accounts for 49% of the segment, followed by makeup at 37% and skincare at 14%. Skincare recorded the highest growth rate, at 17%.

Growth is accompanied by a strong openness to new products. McKinsey’s The State of Fashion: Beauty 2025 report highlights that nearly two in three consumers in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia try at least one new beauty brand every quarter, reflecting a market with a strong appetite for discovery, where premium demand coexists with an increasingly diverse offering.

One aspect of the market became particularly clear beyond the figures: its commercial rhythm. In the Gulf, Ramadan and Eid, rather than Christmas, are pivotal moments for seasonal collections and gifting. Beautyworld reminded us that understanding a market also means understanding when its brands plan and develop.

Fragrance: The Importance of Tradition and the Growth of Regional Brands

Fragrance continues to hold a central position in the Gulf beauty market, supported by an olfactory culture deeply rooted in the region’s consumer habits. According to Chalhoub Group Intelligence, the fragrance segment reached approximately USD 1.2 billion in 2024, growing by 11%. Within this segment, private collections and niche brands already account for 40% of the market analysed.

Alongside major international brands, regional brands have strengthened their presence in recent years, increasingly expanding beyond their domestic markets. According to a Euromonitor analysis published in September 2026, global sales of Arabian fragrances increased from USD 2.8 billion in 2023 to USD 4.9 billion in 2025, with approximately USD 2 billion generated in international markets.

Our conversations at Beautyworld also highlighted a growing maturity in packaging development. Regional brands are increasingly approaching packaging projects with more structured and technically defined requirements, reflecting both the progressive professionalisation of their organisations and their broader international ambitions.

At the same time, there is growing attention in the Middle East to the development of products and brand languages aligned with the cultural characteristics and needs of local consumers. Euromonitor places this trend within the broader phenomenon of A-Beauty, an Arab and African beauty culture that values regional identities, traditions and the specific needs of its markets.

For premium and luxury packaging, this growing diversity calls for projects that reflect local aesthetic codes while meeting international quality standards. At Beautyworld, we saw this in increasingly focused conversations about structures, materials and finishes.

Retail Evolution and Digitalisation: New Requirements for Packaging

Digitalisation was among the topics addressed at Beautyworld Dubai 2026, with in-depth discussions focusing on artificial intelligence, the evolution of retail, and innovation in processes and supply chains.

Sales channels are also evolving. According to the 2026: GCC in Focus – Middle East Beauty Market report, physical retail continues to play a central role in the region’s beauty market, while e-commerce is growing at double-digit rates, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

As brands expand across markets and distribution channels become more complex, technologies supporting product identification, traceability, distribution control and authenticity are also gaining relevance.

In this area, smart packaging solutions enable digital functionalities to be integrated directly into packaging through coding systems, next-generation QR codes, serialisation, and security and traceability technologies. These solutions combine operational and technological requirements with the aesthetic standards of luxury packaging.

Local Presence and International Expertise: Our Approach to the Middle East

This is why regional proximity matters: it allows us to understand evolving expectations first-hand and connect them with the wider capabilities of the Group.

We complement our commercial presence in Dubai through ISEM EGISA Middle East with the design and manufacturing expertise of our international platform, offering an integrated range of services covering concept development, packaging production, co-packing and logistics.

Our From Concept to Delivery model allows us to coordinate these activities through a single point of contact, combining the Group’s specialised industrial capabilities with an understanding of local market needs.

Our development strategy in the Middle East has enabled us to establish a stable commercial presence in the region through ISEM EGISA Middle East.

This approach is also reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding signed in May 2026 with 2PointZero Group and KEZAD Group, to explore the development of an industrial platform in Abu Dhabi. The project, still under evaluation, could allow us to complement our commercial presence with local manufacturing capabilities, reducing lead times and strengthening our service to GCC customers.

Our participation in Beautyworld is part of this longer-term commitment. The dialogue continues through our presence in Dubai, enabling us to align the development of our solutions with the needs of international brands and growing regional businesses.