UAE Welcomes Finland’s Award-Winning Natural Beauty Brands

In the aftermath of securing seven top awards at the prestigious European Natural Beauty Awards 2025 in Paris, Finnish natural cosmetics are making significant inroads into the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This marks a pivotal moment for the clean, sustainable beauty sector in the Middle East. With this victory, Finland has demonstrated its dominance across various segments of the beauty industry, including e-commerce, retail, brand innovation, and natural ingredients.

Nordic Beauty Inc. (NBI), the powerhouse behind the acclaimed NOBE Nordic Beauty and Scandy brands, is spearheading this expansion to introduce its award-winning product lineup to UAE distributors at the upcoming Beautyworld Middle East 2025, scheduled from October 27 to 29 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Scandy has already made its presence felt in the region with an exclusive launch in Watsons stores across the GCC, signaling the beginning of Finnish beauty brands' foray into the Middle Eastern market.

The European Natural Beauty Awards, a gathering of Europe's elite natural cosmetics brands, innovators, and retailers, witnessed Finland's rising stature in the realm of sustainable beauty.

Finnish entities clinched major awards, showcasing the country's commitment to sustainability in beauty.

Among the Finnish victors were Ruohonjuuri, celebrated as E-Commerce of the Year; PUR-kauppa as Independent Shop of the Year; Miraz as Distributor of the Year; CosmEthics, led by Katariina Rantanen, as Voice of the Year; BLANK& for New Brand of the Year; Origin by Ocean – OCEANTHIX™ LV for Innovative Natural Raw Ingredient of the Year; and Frantsila, honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Apart from the main categories, the event also bestowed Excellence Awards, recognizing notable achievements in product innovation and subcategories. NBI stood out by receiving the most Excellence Awards for any European company, with five for NOBE and one for Scandy.

Johanna Rönkkö, CEO of NBI, expressed enthusiasm about the alignment of Finnish natural cosmetics with the values of UAE consumers, who prioritize quality, design, and sustainability.

"The Finnish natural cosmetics sector combines science, design, and sustainability - values that perfectly align with today's UAE consumers. This market is forward-looking and quality-driven, making it an ideal environment for Nordic beauty to grow. We are excited that Scandy has already found a home with Watsons across the GCC, marking an exciting start for Nordic beauty in the region," Rönkkö stated.

The UAE cosmetics market is expected to surpass $395 million by 2025, with an annual growth rate over 4%. The clean and natural beauty segment, in particular, is projected to experience nearly 7.9% growth through 2030.

This growth is fueled by a consumer demand for transparency, ingredient integrity, and minimalist design, which are hallmark features of Nordic brands.

"Nordic beauty is defined by authenticity and performance. These are universal values, and we see a growing appetite for them across the Middle East," said Mika Rönkkö, Executive Director of the Finnish Health Product Retailers Association.

This sentiment underscores the potential for Nordic beauty products to resonate with consumers in the Middle East, where there is an increasing appreciation for authentic, high-performance beauty solutions.

The success of Finnish beauty brands at the European Natural Beauty Awards 2025 has set the stage for their expansion into the UAE. With their focus on clean, sustainable products that align with the values of UAE consumers.