Bringing the Salon Home

With two new innovative personal care products, Philips lays out plans to expand its market share in Egypt

By Kaylan Geiger

With two new products, Philips aims to reestablish its brand as a household name in Egypt for consumer lifestyle products. The electronics giant announced in mid-September that it would be adding the Philips VisaPure and Philips Lumea to its personal care portfolio in Egypt, pioneering a new avenue for the Dutch-based company most renowned for its healthcare and lighting products. “We have been here since the 1930s,” says Philips Consumer Lifestyle General Manager in North East Africa Olaf Koning. “We have a long history in Egypt. Everyone knows Philips, so we are trying to reactivate the brand name more and more.” While the Philips VisaPure and Philips Lumea have already been introduced to the European market, their introduction in the Egyptian market is part of the brand’s new mission to push for innovation in the country and the region. The skin cleaning Philips VisaPure is a more effective way to clean your face rather than the traditional method of using your hands. With dual motion technology that rotates and vibrates across the skin, the VisaPure buffers away dirt and residue to reveal fresh skin. Philips Lumea, a device used for hair removal, uses an innovative light-based technology called IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), which is the same technology used in salons and by professionals. Philips has harnessed that technology and adapted it so that consumers can use it at home. “These products are an example of what Philips stands for,” says Koning. “Where we stand out is innovation. In the last 125 years you will find every year a new type of innovation that is unique.” These two products, however, are just one step forward for Philips in Egypt. “We want to contribute to the health and well being of our consumers in Egypt,” explains Koning. “We want to understand what the consumers need here, where we can play a role, whether it is in hospitals, in consumer products, in lighting solutions, all kinds of areas where we currently play a role. What we are doing here is bringing that across, so we are introducing new products. But we are also learning from the market and trying to understand how we can improve life.” For Koning, adapting to the Egyptian consumer lifestyle market has been a rewarding challenge. “I came here in 2011 after the revolution,” says Koning. “Egypt was a roller-coaster. That didn’t make it easy for any of us, but the good thing is that today it is more stabilized, and we are better able to do our business and run it in a smoother way. Egypt has its challenges, like any country, but we overcame and we are overcoming it.” Since the January 25 Revolution, investment in Egypt has been fleeting given the unstable political circumstances over the past few years. Koning says that although Philips was aware of the challenges in the Egyptian market, he knew they weren’t impossible to contend with. “When I first came here the easiest thing was to say, ‘Ok, this isn’t going to work, let’s go back.’ I think many did, but we did not. We are quite determined to stay here and to grow here. I think it was the right decision. I can already see the growth that this country has gone through. Egyptians are survivors and that is why we are happy to be here.” Philips plans to expand its market in Egypt with a new business model that would see the corporation hiring more people and opening up new channels of dialogue between the company and its consumers. In addition to introducing their own products, they will also be working with local distributors and local products. Aside from being a fruitful market in its own right, Egypt is also a strategic part of Philips’ introduction into the African market. “I truly believe that Egypt has a bright future,” says Koning. “As part of Africa it is a very strategic country. It has a large population, it’s one of the most developed countries in Africa and it is one of the leading countries and is relatively highly educated. Yes, we had a hurdle, but after this hurdle I think we can only go up. That is how I see Egypt and that is what we expect from Egypt.” et Philips Lumea The Philips Lumea is the equivalent to bringing the salon to your home, promoting an easy, painless process to prevent unwanted hair from growing back. With its advanced Intense Pulsed Light technology (IPL), this hair removal device uses gentle pulses of light to put hair roots to sleep. Before using the device, your skin should be clean and hairless. Use the device by gliding it over the skin at a 90-degree angle. The Lumea can be used on all areas of the body, including legs, face, arms and sensitive areas like the bikini area and underarm. Although the device does not remove hair directly, the pulses of light target the root of the hair; when the treatment is repeated once every two weeks the hair will stop growing back, with optimal results taking place after four to five bi-weekly treatments. The device comes with a guide to help you choose the best light frequency based on your skin tone and hair color. The Lumea is set to retail between LE 6,500-6,700. Philips VisaPure T he Philips VisaPure is an revolutionary way to clean your skin. The dual-motion technology features a brush that rotates and vibrates at the same time to remove dirt, dead skin, make-up residue and impurities from your face and neck. The VisaPure features two speed settings, one for gentle, mild cleansing and one for deep cleansing. Unlike other devices that promote their ability to cleanse skin effectively, the VisaPure is also equipped with a timer. Divide your face into three zones — the T-zone, left cheek and right cheek — and use the VisaPure over each zone for 20 seconds. The device will pause briefly after each 20 seconds to alert you when it is time to move onto the next zone. The VisaPure is waterproof and comes with three different brush options: one for normal skin, one for sensitive skin and one for exfoliation. The Philips VisaPure is set to retail between 1,500-1,700.