THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2021, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) recently organised a virtual Export Acceleration Mission (EAM) in conjunction with Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week 2021 in Hong Kong from 8 to 16 November 2021.

Cosmoprof Asia is Asia’s leading beauty trade fair, held annually by Informa Markets since the past 25 years in Hong Kong. Due to the prevalent Covid-19 pandemic, Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week was organised to offer a digital match-making platform for buyers and sellers to interact with companies, view new product launches, place orders, meet clients and potential customers, and stay up to date on beauty trends and technology in 2021/2022.

In line with MATRADE’s mission to promote Malaysian exporters to foreign markets, the agency organised the first ever Malaysia ePavilion at Cosmoprof Digital Week 2021 platform with the participation of twelve Malaysian cosmetics and toiletries companies. In collaboration with Federation Malaysian Manufacturers-Malaysian Cosmetics and Toiletries Industry Group (FMM-MCTIG), MATRADE also coordinated a series of webinars for the foreign buyers and Malaysian companies towards highlighting Malaysia’s unique ecosystem and niche advantages for the beauty industry.

A total of 264 business meetings were successfully arranged during the EAM which generated actual sales of RM1.03 million and potential sales of RM87.67 million. Main items sourced by the buyers were OEM services for personal care products, skincare products as well as natural products. Other potential products for Malaysian companies are haircare products and face masks which are highly demanded in Hong Kong.

Two Malaysian participants, Ilyska Bioinnovation Sdn Bhd and Sky Resources Sdn Bhd have also been selected as the shortlisted companies for Cosmo Trends, a report which will feature their hero products along with twenty other products sellers from around the world as selected by the global trends’ agency, Beautystreams. The CosmoTrends report has become the beauty community referent point for buyers, bloggers, influencers, journalists, and experts to be updated with the market trends in different beauty categories. In addition, their products were featured on the Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week website, during BEAUTYSTREAMS’s webinar on 8 November 2021 and promoted in the CosmoTrends report to Cosmoprof's global database by newsletter, press release, and social media posts. Their selection proves Malaysian exporters capabilities to produce good quality, innovative products that are in demand in foreign markets.

According to Zalela Jaafar, Director of Lifestyle and Life Sciences Section of MATRADE, “The virtual EAM was a good platform for Malaysian companies to meet directly with potential buyers particularly in the Hong Kong, Macau and China. Hong Kong especially is well known for its demand of Fast-Moving Consumer Good (FMCG) products such as cosmetics and toiletries, as the city caters to the local and tourists coming to Hong Kong as well as selling their own products to other markets. Apart from that, potential to penetrate other international markets is also high as Hong Kong is one of the leading sourcing and digital supply-chain services hubs in the world, with many companies supplying to international clients around the world.”

Noor Ezzwanee Ahmad, the Trade Commissioner of MATRADE Hong Kong also shared that, “Many foreign buyers in the cosmetics and toiletries industry don’t realise that most Malaysian companies are export-ready and capable to meet the requirements of the market and the industry. Many Hong Kong buyers are looking for alternative suppliers as their existing suppliers from China, Japan and South Korea are getting more expensive and unable to meet their requirements or needs. As observed during the business meetings organised by MATRADE, most buyers are very interested with the Malaysian companies’ offers in terms of the prices and also the flexibility of producing products according to the buyers’ formula or requirements.”

She added, “We noticed that many buyers are now requesting social audits reports which shows the industry’s requirement for well-managed and sustainable business. However, some Malaysian companies are unaware of these new requests needed by the industry, especially those supplying to the American and European markets.”

Malaysian companies interested to export their products to Hong Kong can contact MATRADE Hong Kong at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..