Image Credit: Enes Evren Counterfeiting is a familiar problem in the beauty industry. A fake cosmetic may carry the same name as a genuine product, reproduce its packaging or imitate its distinctive appearance, and increasingly may be sold through the same digital channels that legitimate brands use to reach consumers. For African beauty brands, the problem becomes more complicated as businesses expand across borders and products move through increasingly complex distribution networks. But...

Image Credit: Tatyana Koren Globally, the fragrance industry is a specialised sector built on science, creativity, manufacturing, intellectual property, international trade, and regulation. Despite its significance, the industry remains relatively underexplored within African beauty discourse. Conversations about beauty regulation on the continent tend to focus on product registration, advertising, consumer protection, counterfeit goods and, increasingly, sustainability. Fragrance, by...

Image Credit: Ruslan Dashinsky Africa's beauty industry is developing within a continent that is both commercially connected and legally fragmented. The continent is commonly divided into five broad regions: North, West, Central, East, and Southern Africa. Within this structure are continental frameworks, regional economic communities and national legal systems, each with their own rules, institutions and regulatory priorities. For businesses operating across borders, the result is that a...