Apex Brazil tunes into the Colombian market

The organization hosted a pavilion at the Belleza Y Salud event, held in Bogota back in September, during which it was working to platform 32 up and coming Brazilian beauty brands.

Cosmetics Design spoke to Johanna Guevara Mendez, who is a commercial analyst with the Federation of Industires for Goiana State, and who also plays an active role within Apex, to find out more about the organization’s ambitions.

Colombia is a core market​

“At this moment Colombia is pivotal to targeting the Colombian community, which is why we are focusing much of our efforts on increasing trade in this market,”​ said Mendez.

 “Equally, we are also trying to create greater traction in other key global markets such as Portugal, Italy, United Arab Emirates.”​

Apex is aiming to promote the Brazilian beauty industry in the main Andean markets, especially Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador and Colombia is also the doorway to these markets, Mendez went on to explain.

Brazil means hair care​

Apex is targeting all beauty industry categories, something that was reflected by the diversity of the brands Brazilian that were exhibiting at the Belleza Y Salud event.

Brazilian companies exhibiting at the event under the Apex pavilion included names such as Nutriex, Sebrae, Blocskin, Toollon, Di Fiorenna and FIT Cosmetics – companies that are characterized as being medium-sized and all ready for market with the relevant certification and regulatory requirements.

“Brazil is known for hair care products and we have always had a high profile in other categories such as skin care, but it is in the hair care category where recognition of Brazilian brands really shines,”​ said Mendez.

Big Brazilian beauty brands pave the way​

What has really bolstered the Brazilian beauty market internationally in recent years is big brands such as Natura and O Boticario, which have both been successful both domestically and in international markets.

Apex has previously served to promote these brands internationally, but as Mendez explained, they have now reached a point where they no longer need that kind of representation.

“Brands like Natura and O ​Boticario are household names in Brazil and are now increasingly being recognized overseas. This has exposed consumers from all over the world to Brazilian hair and skin care products, paving the way for a new generation of Brazilian brands to follow suit,” ​Mendez said.

Brazil’s economy necessitates international push​

The economic crisis hit the Brazilian economy hard in 2015 and 2016, and although a modest recovery is now being stages, the need for the Brazilian beauty industry to expand into international markets like Colombia is now more compelling.

“The economic circumstances in Brazil makes Apex’s services more important for these beauty companies,”​ said Mendez.

“Because the economic conditions are not ideal in Brazil, it is much more challenging for companies to introduce new products to the market. This is exactly what our job is, to help these brands promote themselves internationally in an effort to help them overcome the more challenging conditions back home.”​