PA Benjamin Cosmetics brand is looking to double its local distribution and triple its international distribution units this year.

Business Development Manager Toni-Moy Stewart said the new hair and skin products have met its distribution and unit sales targets for 2022 and moving forward the company is extending those targets even further.

“We have set aggressive targets that we would achieve over 30 per cent — it has grown exponentially more than what we originally envisioned, we would have set it to be a premium product so it would be in line with international brands.”

PA Benjamin Cosmetics products include, black castor oil shampoo, conditioner and leave-in conditioner and its skin care products are witch hazel, vitamin E Oil and rosewater spray, and they have garnered more traction among makeup enthusiasts and peaked during the carnival season to extend the life of the makeup application.

For 2022, PA Benjamin Cosmetics distributed 50,000 units locally, while 20,000 units were distributed internationally and the brand is looking to double its local distributions this year and aiming for three times its local distribution rate of 2022 for its international distribution rate.

The cosmetics brand is still relatively new. Having launched its haircare products in 2019 and its skin products last year, Stewart said there was some hesitancy regarding whether or not consumers would not take on the product due to Benjamins being predominantly pharmaceutical, but she says the brand is doing well.

According to grandviewresearch.com, “the global cosmetics market size was valued at US$262.21 billion in 2022.” PA Benjamin Cosmetics entered the space with the aim to just take one per cent of that pie.

“That one per cent was great for us because at the time when we had originally entered, the beauty industry was over US$600 million, and US$6 million for Jamaica is a lot, for one set of products and that was our original target the first year,” said Stewart.

She added that she has also seen the potential of the products and has increased the targets. However, she says the current target is not dollar value but more expansion of distribution in other countries and in more states in the United States of America.

“We’re also looking in the European market as well because beauty is big there. We’re looking in Spain, France and Belgium.”

PA Benjamin has yet to enter those markets and its cosmetics brand will be the first to do so. A few months after launching the cosmetics line, it branched out into overseas markets to the US, New York, and New Jersey area. Its black castor oil hair products are also available in the UK and the cosmetic line is seeking additional international distributors to increase its exports.

Its manager explained that the company is, however, facing a challenge with increasing its distribution and feels as if marketing is not as wide as it needs to be. She, however, says the focus is on addressing its distribution issues before increasing demand for its skincare products.

“You can market a product and advertise a product but if a consumer can’t go on the shelf and see the product then it defeats the purpose,” she said.

And while having a distributor in the form of Medical Disposable Supplies (MDS), PA Benjamin recently decided to branch out and is currently distributing to a new audience.

“So the consumer is a new venture for them, like how cosmetics is a new venture for us, so we are learning to grow together with each other, knowing what our weaknesses are and working together to improve them, ” Stewart said.

PA Benjamin has also participated in the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro) trade mission to Ghana last year in a bid to enter Africa first through that West African country.

Since the cosmetics line was launched, PA Benjamin has been actively promoting the products at various expos including the recently concluded Expo Jamaica, where team members demonstrated to patrons how to use the products to cleanse, moisturise and refresh their face throughout the day. It plans to do the same at the upcoming Healthy Hair Beauty Expo, one of the biggest beauty expos in Jamaica on May 27 and 28 at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

Its black castor oil leave-in conditioner won an award in 2022 for the best leave-in conditioner and Stewart, a user of the product herself, said it works amazingly well for her.

“It’s extremely moisturising. I do my hair every Sunday and I don’t need to moisturise my hair again until my next wash day which is the Sunday after. I just spray water and go. So this definitely helps in retaining that moisture for those who have high porosity hair. A little of it goes a long way, “she said.

The company plans to venture into olive oil-based shampoo and conditioners within the next three years but is aggressively creating more for the skincare line with new body butters to be launched this year. Extensions to its existing rose water product including rose water with witch hazel, lavender oil or glycerin will be released this year.

“Our new products will, however, entail a line of body oil and a line of body butters and we’re extending the male line, so we will be having a conditioning beard spray as well as a three-in-one beard and overall body wash,” said Stewart.

According to Stewart, new products are something the PA Benjamin believes in and it always wants to ensure that it is fresh, trendy and addresses the need that is there in the market.