Chinese companies have found Africa offers a large market for hair relaxer products and are looking to invest in production on the continent, according to industry insiders at the ongoing 28th East China Fair held in Shanghai.

Anslem Chudi Afube, an agent from Nigeria who is visiting the fair, said the retail prices of Chinese hair relaxer products are 30 percent cheaper than those of Western brands, even though they offer the same reliable quality.

"Our African customers can now get stylish hairdos and spend less money," he said after visiting the booth of the Huzhou Mino Daily Chemicals Company at the fair.

The African market for hair relaxer products used to be dominated by Western brands. In recent years, products from the Chinese company based in East China's Zhejiang province have become popular in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among other African countries.

"The Belt and Road Initiative has brought us closer to the African market," said Xu Xiangnong, the company's general manager.

Xu's firm had been focusing on designing and producing daily-use skin and hair care products targeted at developed markets. The company's hair dye products make up 20 percent of the market in the United States.

Huzhou Mino started to tap the African market six years ago with its baby care products.

Xu visited Africa to conduct market research in 2015, and said he found it was an emerging market with huge potential.

"African customers have different demands than Chinese customers, but all people, rich or poor, share a desire to have soft, smooth hair. We are developing specific products catering to the African market," Xu said.

Since 2015, his company has obtained several patents for research and development of hair relaxer products, which they began to make available in Africa two years ago.

In 2017, the company exported 1.75 million boxes of hair relaxer to Africa, the equivalent of 70 40-foot containers.

"The import tariff for hair relaxer products in African countries can be as high as 45 percent. If we can set up factories in Africa, we can not only lower the prices for local customers but also create jobs and increase their incomes," Xu said.

Xinhua