The commercialisation of cultural and religious moments (such as Ramadan, Diwali and Chinese New Year, for example) has been happening for a while now, gaining more and more momentum as time goes by. Of course, it’s not always a bad thing – after all, this shift can open up conversations and provide opportunities for education and discussion.

However, there’s no denying that it can often just be used as a money-making opportunity for a lot of brands. As a result, it can be hard to know which are genuine and authentic, and which are doing it as a box-ticking exercise.

To help demystify the topic – and help you to spend your money in the right places – we spoke to Sebina Hussain, a content creator, brand consultant and founder of jewellery brand Irum Atlas. Here’s what she had to say. 

How long have you been noticing the commercialisation of Ramadan and Eid?

Really, it’s nothing new. Muslim countries and businesses have always focused on this time of year because they know how lucrative it can be. In Pakistani culture, for example – which is my heritage – there is a tradition of ‘chaand raat’, which happens the night before Eid. The moon is sighted and people are encouraged to do last-minute Eid shopping, with most malls and shops staying open all night. In a sense, it’s very similar to Black Friday and is seen as a final push from businesses to generate as much income as they can.

In the UK, however, I’ve noticed that commercialisation has been happening for more than a decade. I remember when supermarkets first started putting up Ramadan banners and significantly increasing the size of their ethnic food aisles during this time. I think lockdown and the BLM movement was a huge catalyst: brands and organisations were better able to measure sales metrics during cultural moments, and there was a new and increased pressure to acknowledge minority communities in an authentic way. 

Why do you think the beauty space in particular has gradually become more and more commercialised?

Because of the spending power of the British Muslim consumer! Brands see others focusing on a moment and fear they could be missing out on a commercial opportunity and decide to take a similar approach. For brands that have focused on cultural moments and seen a significant return on investment, those communities then become more important.

How do you personally know when a beauty brand is being genuine and authentic and when they’re not?

Cultural relevance is a huge focus point for many beauty brands, especially the massive conglomerates that have internal teams to focus on specific occasions. Over the past two years, I’ve seen so many brands acknowledging and holding space for events like Chinese New Year, Diwali and Chanukah, as well as Ramadan and Eid. In my opinion, if a brand isn’t focusing on the smaller communities within the larger beauty space, it’s doing itself a disservice.

In terms of authenticity, the first question I always ask myself is whether this brand has spoken to me and/or my community outside of this time. If a brand is only using models that look like me in their campaigns during particular events, that, to me, is a red flag. Brands that are authentic will be inclusive with their campaigns and events and the influencers they engage with throughout the year.

As someone who’s part of the community being targeted, it’s on us to break down the campaigns we’re seeing and ask if they truly resonate. There may be a model who looks like me or messaging addressed to my community, but is the wording correct? Has the brand worked with a model or influencer that is well regarded or have they just used a model that looks like they could possibly belong to your community? As a Muslim who wears the hijab, it bothers me so much when brands use non-hijabi models and instead place a scarf on them to be relatable. The opportunities are already limited for minority communities, so these are the moments that brands should be utilising the most.

What brands do you think are investing in Eid and Ramadan in the right ways?

For me, it’s important to see what brands are doing outside cultural moments. Eylure has focused on and championed the British Muslim community really well. Several years ago, it launched a lash collection with Sabina Hannan – a prominent British Bengali museum beauty blogger – so when they worked with a variety of Muslim influencers last year and hosted an event for content creators, it seemed extremely authentic and on brand.

Clinique is another shining example. It has been hosting celebratory Eid lunches for content creators within the beauty space for the last six years – the first was hosted way before the pandemic, at a time when brands were starting to focus on diversity but not entirely sure how to do it. As a brand, it was constantly and consistently featuring creators from the community on its social media pages. It featured Safiyah Tasneem – a hijabi make-up artist turned beauty blogger who has been in this space since 2010 – in a foundation campaign that was circulated on London transport and on billboards in shopping centres. Jo Malone London is another brand to celebrate: it works with creatives from different communities, whether it’s on social media campaigns, packaging, bottle design, in-store customer services or charity incentives that give back to the communities they are targeting.

I also noticed LookFantastic posted a beautiful video on Instagram recently. It includes snippets of internal staff talking about Ramadan and Eid, highlights how diverse they are behind the scenes and it gives the wider community a non-judgmental space to learn and ask questions. As a consumer, this would give me confidence that a brand really cares because the content isn’t product-focused; instead, it’s engaging the community and sparking meaningful conversations so we can all learn and grow.

Are there any obvious red flags to be aware of from your point of view?

One of the biggest for me is brands repurposing content from their Middle Eastern or Muslim-focused markets and hoping or assuming it will be relatable to their British counterparts. British Muslims are unique because we are a blend of cultures from all over the world. What unites us is our Britishness; what makes us relate to other British Muslims is the experience – both good and bad – that we have had growing up in this country. You cannot take marketing material that is designed and aimed at Muslims who live in a Muslim-practising country, and assume that it will be relatable. I think it does more damage for a brand in the longer term, especially when they use individuals that we don’t recognise or relate to.

Main image: Getty