Homemade beauty remedies mean ugly business in Gaza
Desperate for income, many Gaza women are selling homemade beauty products without letting obstacles like testing or permits get in their way.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In cash-strapped Gaza Strip, increasing numbers of female entrepreneurs are offering homemade personal care products to the market. For some buyers, these unlicensed products have turned out to be an unpleasant experience.
“I saw an advertisement for skin and hair products on Instagram and bought a face cream. But after several uses, I had red pimples all over my face and now I am seeing a skin doctor for treatment,” 21-year-old Lama Abdel Hadi told Al-Monitor. She said that she has not filed any complaints but made sure to warn her friends and family about the company and its products.
Al-Monitor reached out to the Instagram account's owner, who refused to comment.
As the unemployment crisis deepens in the Gaza Strip, where more than 43.9% of the population is without jobs according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for 2017, more Gazans are starting projects to earn a bit of cash. One of the areas the budding entrepreneurs favor is cosmetic products such as face washes, shower gels, creams for sun spots and acne, lightening concoctions and serums for hair growth.
