How international beauty brands enter the UAE market
A practical guide for cosmetics, skincare, hair care and fragrance brands from Korea, Japan, France, Italy, the USA, India and elsewhere that want to sell in the United Arab Emirates — and how Evergreen Glow Trading L.L.C. acts as your licensed importer and distributor in Dubai.
What the UAE requires
- A licensed UAE importer. Cosmetics must be imported by a company holding a UAE trade licence for the activity. Evergreen Glow holds a Dubai licence for perfumes & cosmetics trading, beauty & personal care requisites, and soap & hair care products.
- Product conformity. The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) operates the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS); cosmetics are assessed against the Gulf standard GSO 1943 (safety requirements for cosmetics and personal care products). Claims are governed by GSO 2528 — no medical or treatment claims.
- Municipal registration. In Dubai, products are registered with Dubai Municipality through the Montaji system before sale; other Emirates recognise the conformity certificate.
- Labelling. Product name, ingredients, net content, batch, expiry / period-after-opening, country of origin and responsible-party details; Arabic labelling is expected for retail, typically via an over-label.
- Documents you will need. Free-sale certificate, ingredient list (INCI with percentages), safety / stability test reports, GMP certificate, MSDS where relevant, and artwork. Halal certification is optional unless a halal claim is made.
How Evergreen Glow takes a brand to market
We act as importer of record in Dubai: we buy from you or import on consignment as agreed, coordinate the conformity and registration steps with your documentation, clear customs, hold stock in our partner warehouse in Deira, and sell through two routes at once — wholesale to pharmacies, retailers, salons and resellers across the UAE, and online on Amazon.ae, Noon.ae and evergreenglow.ae. You receive sell-through data and reorder forecasts; the wider GCC (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman) can follow once the UAE base is proven.
Brands we currently work with
Korean skincare (Arencia, Aromatica, Klairs, APLB, RAIP, Biodance, rom&nd), French dermocosmetics and hair care (Institut Esthederm, Uriage, Noreva, A-Derma, Ducray, Phyto), American skincare and hair care (Murad, Lange) and British oral care (Euthymol). We are onboarding Japanese, Italian, Indian and Ayurvedic, natural and organic, and fragrance brands next.
This page is general guidance, not legal advice; requirements change and are confirmed per product during onboarding.
An operation already running in Dubai
Importer of record in Dubai
A licensed UAE trading company that imports under its own licence, clears customs and holds your stock in Deira — you do not need a local entity to sell in the Emirates.
UAE compliance, coordinated
We coordinate the UAE-side product registration with your documentation — MoIAT conformity (ECAS) and Dubai Municipality (Montaji) under GSO 1943 — so products are legal to sell across all seven Emirates.
Wholesale + marketplace reach
One partner covers both trade supply (retailers, pharmacies, salons, resellers) and online sell-through on Amazon.ae, Noon.ae and our own store at evergreenglow.ae.
From enquiry to delivery
Frequently asked
How long does it take to launch a cosmetics brand in the UAE?
With complete documentation, conformity and registration typically take a few weeks per product range, followed by shipping and customs. Marketplace listings can go live as soon as stock is in Dubai.
Do I need my own company in the UAE?
No. A licensed local importer-distributor such as Evergreen Glow imports, registers and sells on your behalf. Setting up your own entity is only worthwhile at much larger scale.
Which countries' brands are you looking for?
Korea, Japan, France, Italy, the wider EU, the USA, the UK, India and Australia — across skincare, dermocosmetics, hair care, personal care, natural and organic beauty, and fragrance.
Do you also export from the UAE to other GCC countries?
Once a brand is established in the UAE we can extend to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman through our logistics and trade partners; each country has its own registration (for example SFDA in Saudi Arabia).
Related pages
Ready to enter the UAE market?
Send us your brand deck, product list and export price list — we will reply with a step-by-step proposal for import, registration and distribution.
