The 2026 Iran war’s shockwaves are beginning to shake the cosmetics world in various ways.
Some of these are shared with other consumer industries and others are unique to the business of beauty.
Since the US and Israel’s joint 28 February airstrike on Iran, killing its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iran has launched retaliatory drone and ballistic missile attacks targeting Israel, as well as US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Iran also closed the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point that is especially important for the global energy trade – a sector that has been additionally disrupted by strikes on facilities, carried out by both Israel and Iran.
The ramifications of this, as well as other factors, are already negatively impacting beauty players and will likely continue to do so, especially if the conflict is drawn-out*.
[*As of 8 April 2026, the US and Iran have agreed to provisional ceasefire, with Tehran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz]
“The immediate impact on businesses is the underlying uncertainty in relation to the conflict,” comments Nico Shaw Núñez, Director of Regulation and Sustainability at UK cosmetics industry representative body, the CTPA.
“An unclear end and resolution to the conflict is, like many other geopolitical circumstances, something that businesses have to account for in terms of risk to their company and growth plans.”
Many industries may be affected by supply and delivery issues and the cosmetics and personal care industry will be no exception
On the ground
Taking an in-depth look at the directly affected region, Janet Milner-Walker, beauty industry expert and Managing Director of consultancy Bespoke Advantage, says that there are several very strategic markets for personal care and beauty which are currently embroiled in the conflict, most notably Israel and the UAE.
“There are a lot of big players in the UAE, for instance – you have got groups like Alshaya, Al Tayer, among others,” she says.
“And some of these local groups have formed partnerships, over time, with big retailers.
“For example, Sephora and Chalhoub Group have a partnership in place…which is beneficial from an infrastructure perspective.”
In certain markets, like the UAE, “we have not seen too many stores closing,” she adds, noting that, in Dubai, for example, “it is business as usual, but obviously putting people’s safety first.
“However, in some of the smaller markets, like
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