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This Arab Female Entrepreneur Heads Up A Company Catering Solely To Men

Zein Arbeed wasn’t afraid to venture into unfamiliar territory while launching The Grooming Lab.

It takes a fierce female entrepreneur to start revolutionising the men’s grooming industry in the region. Zein Arbeed founded The Grooming Lab, the region’s only dedicated men’s grooming distributor for niche and exclusive men’s grooming brands, with that mission and vision in mind. Fast forward from 2017 and her project houses some of the leading global men’s personal care and wellness brands, including Captain Fawcett, Jaxon Lane, The Groomed Man Co. and Dapper Dan. What’s more, there’s a wide selection of ranges from the portfolio of high-end men’s grooming brands from around the globe, from hair care, beard care and shaving to skincare and bath and body essentials.

At The Grooming Lab, Arbeed, a marketing graduate who has managed luxury automotive brands in multiple markets, oversees a host of different operations. These include new brand acquisitions, sales and business development, product training across retail/B2B channels and business financials, as well as trend analysis and planning for the future. 

We talk to the creative and humorous Arbeed about what motivated her to launch The Grooming Lab, which donated five percent of sales proceeds in November to the Shanab Initiative under Friends of Cancer Patients Society to back the No Shave November movement. We also get an insight into what it’s like for an Arab woman to work in a male-specific industry, how men’s getting ready habits are changing and more.

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What is it like being a woman breaking into the men’s grooming industry?

It has been challenging and fun-filled, yet very rewarding to be an Arab woman selling men’s grooming products in the Middle East. The region’s perception of the modern male is seen to be more ambitious, better connected and networked, and has more spending power than ever before, which I concur with. 

As part of my daily routine, I meet many owners of barbershops where we retail and have always been warmly welcomed. More often than usual, I receive a startling response when they come to know over a conversation that I run the business. But I also do get a lot respect and that’s the great part of being an Arab woman in this business in this part of the world.

I have realised that in the region, men are not the most forward in terms of understanding men’s grooming. Apart from a weekly visit to their barbers, men need to be more educated on the importance of taking care of their skin and keeping up with the global trends. This understanding also has owners / decision makers open to listening to what we offer. Furthermore, like women, men should also be on the lookout for upcoming and current trends and be a part of the next big thing.

On the retail front, I have dealt with many successful women who head bigger retail beauty chains, and they relate to my story and have been very helpful and understanding as well.

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