Dubai Municipality's BeautyWorld Middle East 2024 Showcase, Raising Standards in Beauty Product Safety and Quality

Dubai Municipality participated in Beauty World Middle East 2024, held from October 28 to 30 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. As a strategic partner for the event, Dubai Municipality joined organizations and companies from over 150 countries in the beauty sector.

At the exhibition, Dubai Municipality showcased its extensive system for ensuring the quality and safety of beauty products in the Emirate's markets, including cosmetics, personal care products, and perfumes. It also highlighted its laboratory services, where products underwent testing with the latest equipment and techniques, all aligned with ISO/IEC 17025 standards.

Dr. Naseem Mohammed Rafee, Acting Executive Director of the Environment, Health, and Safety Agency at Dubai Municipality, stated: "Dubai Municipality played a crucial role in fostering a sustainable environment, health, and food system, as the sole regulatory authority overseeing the registration of products imported through Dubai’s ports, which accounted for over 90% of the UAE’s total import volume. Additionally, we ensured compliance with approved specifications and maintained rigorous local market monitoring.”

Dr. Rafee also noted the significant growth in Dubai’s cosmetics sector in recent years. Since 2016, the number of products registered on the Muntaji system had increased by over 50%, now surpassing half a million products, with nearly 40,000 shipments and over 560,000 imported products processed annually through Dubai’s ports. Furthermore, approximately 10,000 institutions were involved in trading consumer products in Dubai.

“The beauty sector played an increasingly important role in the Emirate’s economy,” Dr. Rafee continued, “requiring us to uphold international standards to protect the community and enhance Dubai’s standing as a global investment hub. Beauty World provided an opportunity to engage with investors and experts in beauty, acquainting them with Dubai Municipality’s regulatory standards for health and safety in the industry.”

Engineer Hind Mahmoud Ahmed, Director of the Dubai Central Laboratory Department, remarked: “Aligned with Dubai Municipality’s vision of being a leading municipality in a global city, we developed a comprehensive laboratory testing system to ensure the highest safety standards for all imported and traded products. This system supported Dubai’s reputation as a leading international market and kept pace with advancements in product and material manufacturing.”

Eng. Hind explained that Dubai Municipality’s laboratories utilized an integrated technological system encompassing over 5,000 techniques applied according to global best practices across various specialized laboratories. These laboratories provided testing, calibration services, technical consultation, and training sessions for key sectors, including food, health, manufacturing, and the environment, also supporting government and academic institutions.

Dubai Municipality’s laboratories conducted various tests on perfumes, cosmetics, and personal care products, ensuring they were free from harmful substances to safeguard consumer health. Testing included advanced assessments for microbial contamination, toxic heavy metals, and banned chemicals such as formaldehyde and hydroquinone. Comprehensive allergy testing was also conducted on perfumes to confirm compliance with health standards and consumer safety.

Eng. Hind added that Dubai Municipality continuously updated its testing procedures, integrating artificial intelligence tools at every stage — from sample preparation and laboratory testing to final report issuance — to ensure high accuracy, speed, and improved decision-making.