Anisah sells cosmetics well in KL

Anisah sells cosmetics well in KL

SURABAYA (Antara): Anisah Umar, an Indonesian from Cirebon,
West Java, has successfully developed a cosmetics and skin care
business in Malaysia.

Though in her 40s, she looks younger than her age and she
swears this is because she takes good care of her skin with her
products.

Armed with her skill in cosmetics and some money, Anisah said
she left for Malaysia in 1986 following a dispute with her
husband.

"Since I was a teenager, I liked to take care of my face. My
mother was also a beautician, who was quite popular in Cirebon,"
said Anisah, a mother of two daughters aged 21 and 22.

At first she lived in Johor where she introduced her skills to
neighborhood women. She invited them to her place to learn about
skin care.

"I taught them about facial care and how to put makeup on the
right way. I did it for free," she said.

After she had made enough acquaintances, her business
instincts started to develop.

In 1987 she established a beauty salon in her house. She
observed that many of her customers liked to use imported beauty
products, including those made in Indonesia. This gave her the
idea to make her own cosmetics, which later turned into reality
with the help of some pharmacologists. She produced cleansing
cream, softening cream and face powder under the brand name of
Citra Ayu (Beauty Image). While most Indonesian women in Malaysia
work as housemaids and have a low social status, Anisah's star is
rising high. Now she has 50 employees to produce her products in
two places: Johor and Kuala Lumpur.

The products are also marketed in Batam. Since 1995, they have
been available in Surabaya, Jakarta and other big cities in the
country. A package of beauty care products costs at least Rp
300,000 -- more expensive than local products.

Anisah, who is married to a Malaysian man, said her business
has been affected by the region's economic crisis.

The sales both in Malaysia and Indonesia dropped by 50
percent.

"Our (annual) sales have dropped from Rp 4 billion to half of
that," she said in Surabaya.

She was in the East Java capital to promote her products in an
effort to improve her sales. Another effort is by producing
smaller packages which cost less.