JMGT_V8_N2_RP1 Ianna Nitin Patwa Abha Dhoot Akshay Sundaram Journal on Management 2230 – 715X 8 2 14 33 Emirati Culture, Cosmetics, Brand management, Intercultural communication, Consumer Culture Theory In this paper we study the effects of Emirati culture on the buying behavior of cosmetics for women in the UAE. We argue that cultural categories act as stable parameters in which national identities are constructed by facilitating recognition and assimilation of established values. Little research, however, has been done in knowing what constitutes the process of institutionalization of new cultural categories or in other words, how new values enter traditional categories. We address this gap in research by offering an in-depth study of how Emirati women portray their identity through the use of cosmetics and more specifically Western brands. The foundations of the different perspectives in marketing research addressing the complexities and the dynamic relationships between consumer actions, organizational performance and cultural meanings are set as a conceptual framework of reference. We show that through the use of Western brands in cosmetics eventually Emirati women prefer to focus on aspects related to eye and lip make-up, following international trends while also remaining faithful to the predicaments of Islam. We conclude by highlighting how this study confirms the expectations regarding the relationship between the Emirati cosmetics consumption and the transitioning towards Global Consumer Culture Positioning (GCCP). September - November 2013 Copyright © 2013 i-manager publications. All rights reserved. i-manager Publications http://www.imanagerpublications.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=2507