Magazine for the professional nail industry.
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102 | NAILS MAGAZINE | APRIL 2017 INTERNATIONAILS As more women enter the workforce and move up the career ladder in the rainbow nation, cosmetics are becoming an essential part of the well-kempt professional's wardrobe. BY SREE ROY Nail Color Goes From Occasional Indulgence to Everyday Wear In 1994, after the country's first post- apartheid democratic election, Archbishop Desmond Tutu coined the term "rainbow nation" to describe the Republic of South Africa. The moniker embraces the multicultural diversity of Africa's southernmost country, in which discriminatory laws of the past yield to greater equality and more fluid class movement for all of the colors in its rainbow. South African women too have been making strides in income equality. Women's increased earning power has propelled a grooming trend across demographics and beauty sectors, resulting in the growth of color in another form: color cosmetics, including nail color. "These women are keen to look good while at work," states Euromonitor's Colour Cosmetics in South Africa report, published in April 2016. "Women are increasingly equating make-up with confidence and social and career success, with a growing number thus shifting from S O U T H A F R I C A : viewing color cosmetics as required only for special occasions to using these products more frequently. This trend will also be linked to a further rise in the participation of women in the workforce and improved career prospects, with these women not only becoming more affluent but also more focused on maintaining a groomed appearance throughout the working day." In its Beauty and Personal Care report, Euromonitor also notes that despite overall economic uncertainty in South Africa, beauty has fared better than other industries, "thanks chiefly to a strong grooming trend in the country, with consumers increasingly focused on looking attractive and smelling pleasant." According to South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry, the total size of the South African cosmetics and personal care products market was R25.3 billion (US$1.9 billion) in 2010 (the latest year for which figures are available on its website), with fragrances, hair care, and skin care being among the top categories.