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Suppliers for drugstores, hair salons, retail channels and specialty shops in 18 countries ratified Colombia as an ideal supplier of products for personal care and beauty products, in both cosmetics and appliances.
That is what they said during the business forum organized by PROCOLOMBIA in the Health and Beauty Fair, which ended with possible business deals for USD 9.2 million between the 52 international entrepreneurs and 171 Colombian exporters who participated in the event, following 653 meetings held.
" Colombia' s products are very well positioned in the Latino community in the United States, which is particularly interested in weight-loss products," said Carolina Pulecio, a distributor in that country.
Others, such as Wladimir Domitilia, from Curacao, are already buying from Colombia but came back for more. " I would like to expand my portfolio with Colombian products because I cannot get the same quality anywhere else," he said.
According to Maria Claudia Lacouture, President of PROCOLOMBIA, the testimonies of foreign buyers show that " This sector has all the potential it needs to continue conquering new markets. The trend suggests that buyers are looking for products made with natural, exotic ingredients, which can be exploited due to Colombia' s great biodiversity."
According to the Earth Trends organization, Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world per square meter, and has the second most diverse flora in the world, with 50 thousand plant species, of which 36% are endemic. Meaning, you can only find them on Colombian territory.
That is why PROCOLOMBIA' s invitation to the business forum was focused on the countries in which the entity identified opportunities for the sector: The Dutch Antilles, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the United States, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago.
There are also possibilities in markets such as Europe, South Korea, Turkey, India and Russia.
Colombia' s Case
Opportunities and the global trend for natural products are already being exploited by several Colombian companies.
The case of Kahai is just one example. Based in Bogota, the company is already exporting to the United States, Canada, France and Holland. It is known for its business proposal because it distributes an Amazonian walnut called cacay, which is used to manufacture cosmetics with anti-aging properties for skin and hair care.
" Colombia is the country with the most biodiversity per square meter, and we have treasures that are not being exploited. Cacay is just one example of all we have to distribute and develop," said Camilo Jaramillo, the company' s sales manager.
In addition, the company offers Colombian agricultural workers a new economic alternative, employing nearly 200 farmers in Meta, Guaviare, Putumayo and Caqueta. " Our goal is to employ 400 people and reforest 5,000 hectares of the Amazon. The industry is environmentally friendly because the demand is for natural products with less chemical content and a social and environmental component," added Jaramillo.
In 2012, according to information from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism using data provided by the DANE, cosmetic and toiletry exports totaled USD 622.2 million, that is to say USD 43.5 million more than in 2011, with a total of USD 578.6 million.
Between January and June 2012, the top five destinations reached USD 284.2 million: Ecuador (USD 178.5 million), Peru (USD 134 million), Venezuela (USD 87.6 million), Mexico (USD 55.8 million) and Panama (USD 21.3 million). while the articles exported most were perfumes and eau de toilette, soaps, hair treatments, eye makeup and toothpaste.
