Located on the doorsteps of the Western world, the Middle East, and Asia, Turkey is a dynamic market for cosmetics. The International Cosmetics Congress organized by Business France and Cosmed in December 2015 was an opportunity to make an update on what should be known before exporting cosmetics to this country.
It is Hande Coskun Abike, Export Advisor of Business France’s Istanbul-based office, who presented Turkey and its market.
Turkey counts 77.7 million inhabitants on a total surface area of 779,452 km 2 (1.5 times France). Life expectancy is of 76.3 years old on average (73.7 for men, 79.4 for women), but with a fertility rate of 2.17 children per woman, the population is still young: 27.7 years old on average.
The country is a member of ECO (an organization for cooperation gathering Central Asian countries) and has signed a Customs Union Agreement with the European Union, which excludes agricultural products and services. Turkey has also entered in multilateral free trade agreements with Lebanon and Jordan, but also with Syria, although it is currently suspended.
The cosmetics market
In 2014, the cosmetics market weighed 3.9 billion dollars and showed a 7% growth rate, compared with the previous year.
Hair care products represent the better part of the goods sold (20%), followed by skincare products (15%). Then there is makeup, perfumes and eaux de toilette, and oral hygiene products (11% each), and then bath and shower products (9%), Turkey being a major producer of the latter.
Baby and men’s products each account …
