As early as 10,000 BC, Egyptians and Mesopotamians used cosmetic products for beauty — an eyeliner-like substance known as kohl to trace their eyes with a thin stick or needle. Since then cosmetics have come a long way and are now a multi-billion-dollar industry.

Last August, Forbes estimated singer Rihanna’s net worth at approximately US$1.7 billion, moving her to the ranks of being the wealthiest female musician in the world and second only to Oprah Winfrey as the richest female celebrity entertainer. But if you think it’s her music catalogue that has given her this title, you are woefully mistaken. Instead, the weight of Rihanna’s fortune, roughly US$1.4 billion, is derived from the value of Fenty Beauty, her cosmetic and skincare line, and her lingerie company, Savage x Fenty, worth an estimated US$270 million.

In 2017, Fenty Beauty became a 50/50 joint venture with French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Fenty Beauty. By 2018, one year after it launched, the line was bringing in more than US$550 million in annual revenues. Today, Fenty Beauty is worth US$2.8 billion.

However, Rihanna is not the only celebrity cashing in on the big business of cosmetics and skincare. Celebrity-founded brands like Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics, Kim Kardashian West’s KKW Beauty, and Jessica Alba’s Honest Co continue to make millions in annual revenues.

This global industry of skin and sun care products, haircare products, deodorants, fragrances, make-up, and colour cosmetics has become a part of the daily lifestyle for most of the world’s population. They will spend to improve their aesthetic appeal. As such, the global cosmetics market size, valued at $380.2 billion in 2019, will grow to US$463.5 billion by 2027 (www.allliedmarketresearch.com)

See the top 10 global cosmetic suppliers and their annual earnings:

1) Johnson & Johnson (USA) – US$81.3 billion

2) Procter & Gamble (USA) – US$67.7 billion

3) Unilever (England) – US$56.3 billion

4) L’Oreal (France) – US$31.1 billion

5) Kao (Japan) – US13.7 billion

6) Estée Lauder (USA) – US$11 billion

7) Shiseido (Japan) – US$9.9 billion

8) Beiersdorf (Germany) – US$8.9 billion

9) Coty (New York, NY) – US$8.6 billion

10) Amore Pacific (South Korea) – US$5.5 billion

Milk River Mineral Spring

Located in France, the waters in Vichy are high in sodium bicarbonate, and the springs at La Roche-Posay are rich in selenium. In comparison, Bad Gastein in the Austrian Alps offers radiative hot springs and thermal spas and hotels like the Radium Palace. In addition, the four-star Thermál Hotel on Hungary’s Lake Hévíz and other radon spas in Bad Brambach, Germany, Ischia, and Italy offer relaxation using radiative treatment. In Montana, there are five underground radon facilities attracting health-seekers annually.

The global wellness sector (industries that enable consumers to incorporate wellness activities and lifestyles into their daily lives) is growing rapidly. The Global Wellness Institute disclosed that the global wellness economy generated US$4.4 trillion in revenue during 2020, while the wellness tourism sector accounted for US$436 billion. Wellness tourism is growing 50 per cent faster than traditional tourism, as people seek places and spaces to replenish their mind, body, and soul with exercise and spa skincare treatments.

Jamaica has three known mineral springs — Milk River in Clarendon, Bath in St Thomas, and Rockfort in St Andrew. These springs are unique as they each possess varying levels of calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfate, potassium, bicarbonate, silica, chloride, iron, and copper.

Evidence suggests Milk River is more radiative than leading European spas, being 54 times more active as Baden in Switzerland and five times as active as Karlsbad, Austria, reputed to cure numerous ailments including rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, sciatica, lumbago, nerve conditions, and liver disorders.” (Milk River Hotel and Spa Annual Report 2019-2020)

The Milk River Bath is a natural resource that has been relevant since it opened in 1794. This attraction operates as a hotel and spa with 20 rooms, offering breakfast and dinner to guests. First, however, the facility needs a major makeover in its branding, image, and service, which are crucial to harnessing its real potential.

The facility’s annual report presented earnings of $51.3 million in 2020. Of this amount, the Government gives a $18-million subvention. These earnings pay $24.5 million in salaries, $16.8 million for goods and services, and $348,000 for capital expenditure. All told, Milk River Hotel and Spa generated a profit of $2.7 million.

Last month, the minister of tourism announced in Parliament that the Government had developed a Tourism Destination and Development Master Plan for St Thomas to spend approximately US$205 million over the next decade in private-public sector partnerships to upgrade the beaches and add 4,000 hotel rooms.

Notwithstanding this admirable goal, the power of the Milk River to earn for Jamaica and the people of Clarendon is more achievable in the short run if we are able to negotiate global cosmetic and wellness luxury opportunities which are lucrative.

Mineral water-based skincare products

Consumers want to spend their money on products that use and promote natural ingredients. For example, the luxury La Mer skincare line, which Estée Lauder owns, retails one 3.4-oz bottle of its face serum at US$900. In 2018 La Mer contributed over US$1 billion to the company’s net sales. Their moisturiser comprises sea kelp, vitamins, and minerals.

The Dead Sea, located in the Middle East, possesses silt and mud rich with a unique combination of 21 minerals (magnesium, calcium, sulfur, bromide, iodine, sodium, zinc, potassium). People use Dead Sea mud to treat health conditions like psoriasis, arthritis, back pain, inflammation, and skin acne. Premier Dead Sea Cosmetics Laboratories is an Israeli cosmetics and skincare company founded in 1990 that manufactures specialised skin rejuvenation products using mineral components extracted from the Dead Sea and exports to over 48 countries.

Cosmetics are now using thermal mineral water for products collected directly at the source devoid of artificial processing. Europeans have been using mineral waters to heal skin irritations and inflammation. Copper, zinc, and magnesium present in the skin’s layer are vital to its hydration by becoming depleted over time with the natural process of cell renewal. In addition, mineral waters have a protective effect, helping to defend the body from ultraviolet radiation and the environmental and internal oxidising agents responsible for free-radical formation.

Today a range of luxury skincare lines (La Roche, Chanel, SK II, La Prairie, La Mer) offer facial moisturisers, facial mists, and facial serums with thermal mineral water. Our brand gives us a unique advantage in attracting wellness travellers. Therefore, let us build an actual boutique luxury spa facility to rival the best in the world and produce a line of Milk River luxury skincare and cosmetic products using the properties of the Milk River mineral spring.

Lisa Hanna is Member of Parliament for St Ann South Eastern, People’s National Party spokesperson on foreign affairs and foreign trade, and a former Cabinet member.