The year 2020 will go down in history as the black year. As world governments imposed the lockdown, businesses began to go on a downward spiral. Many of them saw their end. Pretorra Cosmetics CEO Uğur Aslan talks about the Pandemic’s impact on the cosmetic industry.

It’s time to scale-up

‘With the turkey market still relying on imported cosmetic products, supply and demand were abnormally skewed. The lockdown did not just bring everything to a halt. It disorganized the market’ says Uğur. Home brands, like Pretorra, were pushed to a unique position where they saw the demand but could do very little to meet it due to international trade restrictions. ‘Even this grim experience has a positive impact’ says Uğur, ‘It has made us look into ways to scale-up production once the pandemic loses its grip and trade opens up.

It’s time to innovate

‘The pandemic has brought health to focus. The cosmetic industry has to quickly find ways to offer beauty along with health’ says Uğur ‘with the market responding to brands that promise health and hygiene, the cosmetic industry should take the cue and get to the drawing board to create products that are not just for beauty’s sake.

It’s time to go digital

The pandemic has prompted many players in the cosmetic industry to strengthen their online presence. ‘We do have a strong online presence. But the pandemic has created a new scenario from which there is no turning back’ says Uğur. ‘International travel restrictions have also disrupted the industry calendar. All industry events were either canceled or took place online. While this is unfortunate, it has got the attention of marketers to create quality digital content to stay engaged with their customers.

It’s time to re-evaluate the strategy

‘The lockdown gave people the time to think’ says Uğur. ‘This was, in a way, a good break to look at the strategy and make adjustments. Many insights to brand improvement were born during this period. ‘he says.

Uğur’s observations show us his keen eye for opportunity and growth. His entrepreneurial spirit keeps him going immaterial of the challenge. As markets are slowly crawling back to normalcy, Uğur’s way of seeing things positively is an encouragement not just to his peers in the industry but to entrepreneurs in general. We wish him and team Pretorra Cosmetics a swift recovery from the pandemic-induced slump.