Taiwan opens beauty-cosmetics pop-up store in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, April 20 (CNA) A group of Taiwanese beauty and cosmetics vendors have opened a pop-up store in a shopping mall in downturn Kuala Lumpur in a bid to impress Malaysian consumers there and eventually boost exports.

A total of 13 Taiwanese beauty and cosmetics brands brought together by the government-sponsored Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) opened the pop-up store Friday and will keep it open until Sunday in the MyTown shopping center in Malaysia's capital.

The 13 Taiwanese companies with products in the pop-up shop include vendors of skin care products, such as facial masks, and color cosmetics items, according to TAITRA.

Chiu Hui-li (邱揮立), the head of TAITRA's industrial promotion section, told CNA Saturday that the pop-up store is part of the Bureau of Foreign Trade's effort this year to boost the global visibility of Taiwan's beauty and cosmetics industry.

It was the first time that Taiwanese companies in the sector launched a pop-up store promotional campaign in Malaysia.

Chiu said facial masks have become one of the favorite products of foreign visitors when they come to Taiwan because of the quality of Taiwan-made products and the wide selection available.

He suggested that Taiwanese vendors hire a sales agent in Malaysia to promote their products there, but he noted that due to religious considerations, they will have to file applications for halal certification, which will cost them time and money.

David Hsu (徐大衛), an economic section chief with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia, said exports of Taiwan-made beauty and cosmetics products to Malaysia amounted to US$21.70 million in 2018.

That accounted for only 2.6 percent of Taiwan's total exports in the sector, so there is potential for growth in that market, Hsu contended.

Taiwan's beauty and cosmetics exports in 2018 totaled US$832 million, up 11.33 percent from a year earlier, outperforming the country's overall outbound sales growth rate of 5.9 percent, according to data compiled by the TAITRA.

The data showed that the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the industry's exports was 13.32 percent over the past three years.