The beauty products industry in Cameroon is experiencing significant growth, both domestically and for export. The category includes a variety of products, from hair and body care to cosmetics and perfumes. According to the report on Cameroon’s foreign trade in 2023 published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), companies operating in the cosmetics sector exported 1,459.4 tons of beauty or makeup products in 2023 .
These exports are down 570.1 tons compared to 2022, where they peaked at 2,029.5 tons. Interestingly, this decline did not affect the income generated from the sale of these items. They even got a big raise.
According to the aforementioned report, they increased by 131.7 million FCFA, from 2.575 billion FCFA to 2.707 billion FCFA. An increase of 5.1% in relative value. Regarding the export of perfumes and eau de toilette, the quantities sold, but also the income they generated, had fallen significantly. For example, last year, Cameroon exported only 1.9 tons of perfume and eau de toilette for a value of 5.2 million FCFA.
A year before, Cameroonian companies had exported 109.6 tons, which they sold for 320.2 million FCFA, a difference of 107.7 million FCFA. Despite the good health of exports of beauty or makeup products in 2023, the latter did not contribute at all to the reduction of Cameroon’s trade balance deficit that exceeded the mark of 2000 billion FCFA. In fact, the country exported very few of these products, generating minimal income compared to import costs.
In 2023, Cameroon will spend about 33.5 billion FCFA on the import of perfumes and beauty products. This represents a total of 11,872 tonnes of these products. These numbers indicate a decline compared to 2022, when imports reached 36.1 billion FCFA. This decrease is explained by a decrease in the amount imported, which fell by 195 tons compared to the previous year.
Calculator in hand, on products such as perfume, eau de toilette, beauty and make-up products, Cameroon’s trade balance was in a deficit of more than 30 billion FCFA, if we adhere to data published by the organization responsible for the development of official statistics in Cameroon.
In short, although the export of beauty products to Cameroon is still developing, the sector has promising prospects. Beauty products exported from Cameroon include essential oils, soaps and body care products, hair products, especially those from local plants, are also exported to other African countries. However, the export of cosmetic products faces several challenges. These include customs barriers, counterfeiting, and competition with established international products.
