June 7, 2011 – Global cosmetics company Oriflame has made a formal entry into Tanzania, after more than two years of vibrant operation in Kenya.

The expansion comes alongside the introduction of a number of skin lightening products, which are popular in Africa, but which are known to damage skin.

 “We have introduced several alternatives to bleaches made from natural ingredients to help our customers move away from harmful skin lightening products,” promised Fred Andersson, the Oriflame East Africa CEO and Chairman.

One of the new products launched in the local market is Pure Skin, which Oriflame says is suited for teenage skin.

Andersson has also intimated that Tanzania was the natural gateway into the SADC market as the company seeks to spread beyond East Africa. 

Speaking in Dar es Salaam, the CEO said Tanzania was a promising market for the cosmetics business considering it has the largest population within the East African Community, at 43 million people.

Oriflame, which has four branches in Kenya, has also begun operating in Uganda.

According to a survey conducted by Oriflame, Tanzanians are considered more image conscious than the populace in the rest of East Africa, making it a potential gold mine for the cosmetics firm.

Due to language constraints, Oriflame has published a Swahili catalogue for their newest market, where they also say they will carry out a safety campaign to increase consumers’ knowledge on proper skin care.

As at 2009, the cosmetics giant was worth about Sh140 billion, and reported to have bout 8,000 employees and over 1500 products which are sold in 65 countries.

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