At the International Encounters held by Cosmed on 15 December 2014, UbiFrance Vietnam trade advisor Sylvie Fure and ASEAN Cosmetics Association VP Alain Khaiat presented the ASEAN cosmetics market and key points to be aware of for exporting to this market. Part one: the markets of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar.
The ASEAN (Association of SouthEast Asian Nations) is an integrated area comprising ten countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar [formerly Burma], the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, and Laos). Timor is set to be added as the eleventh country in 2015.
It is also a vast market comprising 635 million people, or 10% of the world’s population, and it has a particularly dynamic growth rate (+5.5% in 2013).
French products enjoy a strong, positive position and exports from France to ASEAN nations in 2013 were worth 18 billion euros, which is the equivalent of all exports to Japan, South Korea, and Russia combined.
The area’s markets are at different stages of maturity, which requires exporting companies to be flexible but also represents opportunities for all products and range levels.
Cambodia
Cambodia has a landmass of 181,035 square kilometres and has 15 million inhabitants. The country has a demographic growth rate of approximately 2%. It is a very young country, with people under the age of 30 accounting for 70% of the population. Life expectancy is 66 years for women and 61 years for men. Infant mortality is still high, estimated at 5.2% in 2013.
The national language is Khmer, and the …
