Dubai, UAE: The recently concluded Beautyworld Middle East event has set new records in visitor numbers and exhibitor participation, further reinforcing its status as the single most important international trade show for the regional beauty industry.

Over three days at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, the 19th edition of Beautyworld Middle East welcomed 28,632 trade buyers from more than 120 countries, an 11 per cent increase over that of the previous edition.

The increasing global appeal of the leading trade and networking event is reflected in its share of international visitors, which was 45 per cent in 2014, up from 42 per cent in 2013.

Beautyworld Middle East 2014 featured a veritable smorgasbord of the latest products and innovations from 1,354 exhibitors from 52 countries, underlining the event’s stature as an unmatched platform to reach the varied markets across the region.

“The Middle East continues to gain in importance as a leading beauty and wellness market globally and this is reflected in the growing interest in Beautyworld Middle East by leading international brands,” said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Epoc Messe Frankfurt, the organiser of Beautyworld Middle East.

“The continued growth of show also underlines its inherent strength in providing a gateway to the latest global trends that shape the future of the beauty, hair, fragrances and wellbeing industries.”

Beautyworld Middle East’s global influence is further underlined by Dubai’s status as the hub of a thriving trade in beauty products.    According to Dubai Customs, the Emirate’s foreign trade in perfumes and cosmetics in 2013 surged by nine per cent over 2012 to reach US$4.9 billion. France was Dubai’s top trading partner, followed by the USA, Saudi Arabia, UK and Germany.

The three-day event featured 28 international pavilions from China, Turkey, France, Italy, USA, Germany, Spain, Thailand, Poland, Korea, Taiwan, UK, India, Brazil, Egypt, Morocco, Hong Kong, Jordan, Pakistan, Vietnam, Hungary, South Africa, Ireland, Singapore, Tunisia, Malaysia, Argentina, and Bahrain.

The German Pavilion, with 37 exhibitors, had a commanding presence at the show and the overall sentiment expressed by participants was extremely positive.

“We entered the Middle East market in 2006 and we realised fairly quickly that we were very competitive in this region,” said Guido Kaiser, Director of International sales at Düllberg Konzentra GmbH, one of the German Pavilion exhibitors.

“This is our eighth year exhibiting at Beautyworld Middle East and we are growing every year. The show helps us to meet new clients, which is crucial as this is our fastest growing market in the world. We will definitely be back next year.”

Torsten Korb, CEO of Pfeilring, another exhibitor at the German Pavilion, added: “Beautyworld Middle East is the perfect platform to meet our customers and showcase our products. “There has been a lot of traffic at our stand and has certainly been a very successful event.”

Mirroring the positive mood on the exhibition floor was Engin Egemen, Export Development Director for Eveline Cosmetics, who said: “We are at Beautyworld Middle East to maximize our presence in the Middle East, Central and North Africa.  We are always looking for more efficient distributors with whom we can grow and the show has definitely met our expectations.”

Rubbing shoulders with the top international beauty and wellbeing majors were leading local powerhouses, including Madi International, which returned this year with its popular Walk of Beauty, where the most talented professional hairdressers and make-up artists from the GCC performed live on stage.

Abdul Majid Madi, CEO of Madi International Group, said: “We have been participating at Beautyworld Middle East for nine years now with Walk of Beauty, and the response that we receive at the show is excellent; it keeps on growing on the international stage and is fast becoming the most influential event for the beauty sector. We will definitely be back next year with something new.”

Another highlight at Beautyworld Middle East was Hair Education by ghd, where top UK stylists enthralled thousands of visitors with their latest fashion and styling techniques.

Ken Picton, the UK education ambassador for ghd, and owner of Ken Picton Salon, was among the stylists on-hand. He said:  “This is my first time at Beautyworld Middle East and it’s obviously the place to be.  The show has allowed us to connect with clients and provide insight into new style techniques and importantly the ghd brand.  It's great to see how much excitement and buzz it's generated.”

Beautyworld Middle East 2014 returned with other show highlights including Nail It! by OPI and Nazih Group; the Fragrance Station; and the Beautyworld ME Boutique, an exclusive showcase of most lavish cosmetics, skincare and precious fragrances from around the world.

A crowd favourite at the Beautyworld ME Boutique was Truffle Shampoo, introduced for the first time in the region by Dutch company Fuente International, and containing diamond dust, truffle and meteorite powder.

Meanwhile, the two-day spa and Salon Management Summit was bursting at the seams, as hundreds of spas and salon owners and operators throughout the region learnt critical insights on solid business practices in the Spa and Salon industry.

Beautyworld Middle East focuses on the five integral show elements of Cosmetics & Skincare; Fragrance; Machinery, Packaging and Raw Materials; Professional Equipment and Spa; Hair, Nails & Accessories.

The 20th edition will take place from 26 – 28 May 2015 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.