The Bulgarian manufacturers of cosmetics export nearly 75% of their produce abroad. On one hand this is so, because the Bulgarian market is too small to consume the whole volume of cosmetic products. On the other hand, Bulgaria is open for various foreign cosmetic brands. Thus, it turns out that export is the most successful formula for survival of this sector in times of crisis.

The Bulgarian companies prefer to export their produce due to the higher prices on the international markets. Thus, in comparison to the other sectors of the national economy, the cosmetics industry shows a firm steadfastness and solid market positions, despite the worsened indicators caused by the economic crisis. There is a proverb in this sector reading that people can’t live without bread, but soap is as essential for them as bread.

What are the most popular export destinations for the Bulgarian cosmetic products? Here is what the CEO of the Bulgarian National Association Essential Oils and Perfumery Nikolina Uzunova told RB: “The Bulgarian cosmetics is well known on the international markets”, says Nikolina Uzunova. “The various markets are showing different interest towards our products which is mainly due to the specifics of these regions. Currently, the Bulgarian cosmetics is traded very well in Europe, the Arab region, Asia, the Middle and the Far East. Our products are demanded in all countries from the former Soviet Union. This is a market where the Bulgarian cosmetic products have been permanently present over the years, they are very well known and recognized in this region and people there are used to buying our cosmetics. In the Far East, in Japan for example, there is a huge demand of Bulgarian cosmetics made of rose oil. The interest of the Japanese towards the Bulgarian yoghurt and rose oil is proverbial. Traditionally, Bulgaria sells white cosmetics in the Arab region. The USA also shows interest towards Bulgarian cosmetic products. Various Bulgarian companies which export their produce to this market have positioned in certain market niches there. We also penetrated the markets in Africa”, says Nikolina Uzunova.

On July 11, 2013, the long-awaited amendment in the EU legislation regarding the cosmetic sector will come into force. All EU member states will have similar legislation which will regulate the manufacture and the trade with cosmetics. A new system which will inform the European markets about new products will be also implemented. The common European gate for the cosmetic products has also been launched. 

Has the manufacture of some cosmetic products gone down due to the economic crisis?

“No, we can not say that the manufacture of certain cosmetics products has gone down. However, the Bulgarian companies operating on the local market suffer all consequences of the economic crisis. They find it hard to receive financing and some of them were forced to make people redundant or make them take holidays. It is not necessary to explain the reasons. The good thing was that there were no massive bankruptcies of companies. To sum things up, I would like to say that they could not avoid the crisis, but fortunately this was not detrimental for their business.”

Is it about time to change the range of the articles produced in the cosmetics field?

“No there was no change in the product assortment”, says Nikolina Uzunova. “Although it has long-lived traditions, the Bulgarian cosmetic industry is positioned in the low and medium price niche, even in Bulgaria. This is why the consumption of Bulgarian cosmetics continues to be steady.”

What are the perspectives of this sector?

“We hope that we will keep and expand our market positions”, says optimistically Nikolina Uzunova. “Despite all financial difficulties, the companies are keeping a wide range of their products. New products are released on the market each year. They comply with the legislative requirements and the market demand. One of the new trends, which also existed in the past, regards the demand of natural cosmetics. So, we are expecting to see an expansion of the market expositions.”

Although the bio-cosmetics are very popular on the Bulgarian market, the sales are limited, representatives of the cosmetic sector contend. This is so, because the natural cosmetics are more expensive and the Bulgarian consumer has become more cautious when it comes to spending.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov