Dreaming Big: Haifa Addas, Founder Of Dubai-Based Instaglam, A Beauty On-Demand Service
By Tamara Pupic / Entrepreneur Middle East
It’s often said that women have a better eye for beauty- Instaglam founder and CEO Haifa Addas might attest to that. But Addas also has an eye for gaps in the market that offer opportunities to establish businesses that can potentially thrive- and that is indeed how Addas, an experienced marketing and communications professional, discovered a convergence point between the UAE’s thriving beauty and events sectors that proved a fertile ground for her enterprise. Based out of Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Centre, Addas’ company, Instaglam, is an on-demand beauty service startup that arranges for professional hairstylists and makeup artists to come to you and service you at your homes, at your convenience.
Beauty is an area that UAE consumers are not prepared to compromise on- just recently, Euromonitor International reported that UAE consumers spent US$247 per capita on cosmetics and personal care, which is more than any other MENA country and ninth worldwide- this figure is expected to grow to $294 in 2020. At the same time, the general attitude among the Emirate’s residents shows a preference for frequent socializing and networking, for both professional and personal reasons. Therefore, a typical UAE-based woman, both expat or local, has plentiful events and functions to attend on a daily basis, and is voracious in her consumption of the newest and the best in order to be able to present her personal best to the public.
And Instaglam promises to live up to these expectations, explains Addas, adding that beauty is traditionally at home among Middle Eastern women. “As a child, I was surrounded by women who were an inspiration to me in many ways,” she says. “My mother was a makeup artist and hair stylist, and my grandmother, who was crowned Miss Lebanon in 1924, taught me that a woman can look good at any time and in any place. Growing up, I lived in many different countries -Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, France, Switzerland, and Canada- and was exposed to a wide range of cultures. From those experiences, I discovered that the demand for beauty is universal, and that the desire to look good and feel good about oneself is essential for every woman.”
Source: entrepreneur.com