The GCC beauty market is on track to grow from $14.3bn in 2025 to nearly $21bn by 2030, as the region moves from a market global beauty brands sell into to one that shapes industry direction.
This is according to the 2026 Middle East Beauty Market Report from Beautyworld Dubai and BeautyMatter, commissioned by Messe Frankfurt Middle East and produced by BeautyMatter’s research arm.
The report found that Saudi Arabia accounts for around 40% of the region’s beauty spending and offers scale, policy momentum and consumer-market depth. At the same time, the UAE provides capital, international talent, regional headquarters and cross-border connectivity. The report says the two markets require distinct strategies.
It highlights the growing influence of the region’s creator economy. The GCC had around 263,000 social media influencers in 2025, while more than 62% of consumers are regularly exposed to creator-led content and more than a third say it directly influences their purchases.
It also found that influencer-led beauty livestreams in Saudi Arabia and the UAE can achieve conversion rates of up to 30%, compared with 2% to 3% for standard e-commerce.
The report highlights the need for greater cultural relevance, with the GCC home to more than 40 ethnic and ethnoreligious groups. Brands are using locally relevant creators and campaigns to reach different cultural and linguistic audiences.
Beauty retail remains driven by physical stores, but e-commerce is growing at double-digit rates, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The report says brands should adopt an omnichannel distribution strategy, with offline retail continuing to drive revenue while online channels support discovery, data collection and incremental growth.
The report launches alongside Beautyworld Dubai 2026, which is taking place from 6 to 8 October at Dubai World Trade Centre.
BeautyMatter founder and CEO Kelly Kovack says: “Our goal with this report was to move past the headlines and market myths to provide data and context to understand the market, identify opportunities, and make informed decisions about what comes next. The region is morphing from a strategically important consumption market to an innovation hub. It is no longer simply preserving cultural beauty codes; it is actively shaping the future of beauty. Global trends are not just followed; the region absorbs them, remixes them, and increasingly sends them back out—stronger, richer, and more expressive.”
Messe Frankfurt Middle East portfolio director of consumer goods Teresa Heitor says: “The beauty industry is one of the most dynamic in our portfolio, and the GCC is central to why. Partnering with BeautyMatter reflects how we see our role, not only convening the industry, but giving it the independent research to make sharper decisions about a market that is now shaping global beauty rather than following it. That combination of a live marketplace and rigorous intelligence is what the region’s next phase of growth needs.”
Beautyworld Dubai & Notes Dubai event director Ravi Ramchandani says: “What this research confirms is something we’ve watched happen from the show floor for several editions: more international brands actively seeking a way into this market, more serious conversations between founders and investors, and more buyers arriving with a mandate to find what’s next rather than what’s already proven. That’s exactly why we’ve continued this partnership with BeautyMatter, to bring rigorous, independent research to an audience making real commercial decisions, not watching the market from a distance.”