After Starbucks and McDonald’s, Asia’s anti-Israel boycotts find a new target: Western beauty products

In Indonesia, beauty brands owned by French cosmetics giant L’Oreal and The Body Shop are being spurned in favour of Chinese and local alternatives

It comes as the boycotts bite into the profits of Starbucks Malaysia and American fast-food giant McDonald’s, amid Israel’s sustained assault on Gaza

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Muslim protesters shout anti-Israel slogans at an al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day rally earlier this month outside the US embassy in Jakarta. Southeast Asia’s Muslim-majority nations are leading the region’s rebuttal against the assault on Gaza by boycotting global brands with alleged links to Israel. Photo: AP

Published: 8:33am, 17 Apr 2024Updated: 11:27am, 19 Apr 2024

Indonesian sales assistant Phany, who works at health and beauty store Watsons in the city of Medan, North Sumatra, has noticed a change in the way customers shop for cosmetics and skincare in recent months. Some are now avoiding certain global brands, despite having used them for years.

“I had one lady who had used L’Oreal products for over a decade, but she said she would never use it again and was moving on to other local brands,” Phany said.

The change in customer behaviour is representative of a broader shift among Indonesians, many of whom are heeding calls to boycott products perceived as being affiliated with Israel due to the conflict in Gaza.

While the initial focus of the boycotts was specific food and drink brands such as McDonald’s, it is now extending to other areas, including beauty products.

Southeast Asia’s Muslim-majority nations are leading the region’s rebuttal to Israel’s assault on Gaza, which was launched in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. That initial raid killed over 1,200 Israelis, with about 250 taken hostage into Gaza.

More than 33,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israel’s months-long bombardment of the enclave, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.