Recently, Southeast Asian countries have been growing very rapidly with their rate of economic growth exceeding the average of the world. Their exports to the USA and Japan have been growing. Thus, a chain reaction occurs as economic growth in one country activates growth in other countries. This is a characteristic phenomenon. Prices of consumer goods have also been growing rapidly. Cars, color televisions and VCRs are in great demand, and are being watched as the most active area from all over the world. This article will outline the consumer’s shampooing habits, the current picture of the shampoo market and the fragrances used in the leading brands of shampoos. Some data on the perception of common fragrances will also be included.
The Countries in Southeast Asia
The countries we refer to are Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Figure 1 gives specifics on each country, such as population and GNP. The precipitation is very heavy (between 2,000 to 4,000 mm/year) and these countries are considered to be tropical rain forests, since almost all of them are peninsulas or islands.
Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan are the leading countries in GNP/person, followed by Malaysia and Thailand. For the most part, these countries consist of three races. The Chinese are in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore; the Malaysians are in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines; and the Thais are in Thailand. In Hong Kong, people speak both English and Chinese. In Malaysia, people speak the local language as well as English, Chinese and Tamil. In the Philippines, tbe native language is Philipino, the official language being English. These countries also vary in religion. In Taiwan, we find Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity; in Malaysia, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. It's obvious that these countries greatly vary in race, language and culture.