Beauty has a way of bringing people together, even when they come from different worlds. It can spark conversations between strangers, connect mothers and daughters, and bridge generations with different perspectives. From the makeup we borrow to the skincare advice we pass along, beauty has always been about more than what’s on our vanity table. It’s also about the experiences we share.
Long before the digital world changed how we discover and talk about beauty, Mary Kay was already building connections through it. Mary Kay Ash founded the company in 1963 with the goal of creating opportunities for women. Its products, spanning skincare, color cosmetics, fragrance, and body care, have long been sold through a network of independent beauty consultants, who share them through personal demonstrations and one-on-one advice.
That personal approach has helped the brand find its way into generations of women’s lives. For many, Mary Kay was a first introduction to beauty, spotted in a mother’s or grandmother’s routine before it became part of their own.
This legacy of sharing was a fitting focus for UN/CONVENTION/AL featuring Mary Kay, the latest installment in The Beauty Edit’s forum series. Following The Editor’s Forum and the Peri/Menopause Forum, the gathering aimed to create space for conversations that go beyond the usual beauty talk and bring fresh perspectives to the fore.
This time, the forum brought together editors, creators, and community members from three generations—Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z—to explore how their journeys and experiences have shaped their ideas about beauty, and what they can learn from one another. Guiding the afternoon was Mary Kay’s message: “Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared.”
A Conversation Across Generations
Few topics seem to invite as much debate as the differences between Gen X and Gen Z. These generational gaps show up in everything from values to communication styles, and they’re often framed as a source of conflict rather than an opportunity to learn. Mary Kay wants to shift that conversation.
At the event held in Makati, Mary Kay Philippines Commercial Director Criscy Camacho opened the discussion, exploring how a brand with a long-standing legacy in beauty, personal relationships, and entrepreneurship can continue to connect with women across generations.
Camacho acknowledged that generational differences have sparked plenty of talk, with each age group facing its own learning curve. But learning, she emphasized, goes both ways. In her own experience, the younger generation has taught her valuable lessons, reminding her that growth doesn’t stop with age or experience. The same is true when it comes to beauty. “Beauty is not meant for gatekeeping; it blossoms when it’s passed on from person to person, from one generation to the next,” she shared.
The conversation then turned to the future. Gen Z often finds its communities through shared interests and digital content, making these spaces an important part of how brands connect with them. For Mary Kay, the challenge is to bring women of different ages to the same table, where each generation can draw from the others while every voice is heard on its own terms.
“Beauty is not meant for gatekeeping; it blossoms when it’s passed on from person to person, from one generation to the next.”—Criscy Camacho, Mary Kay Philippines Commercial Director
Two Women, Two Paths to Entrepreneurship
Every woman who builds something has a story about how she got there. For the afternoon’s main discussion, two women who arrived at beauty and entrepreneurship from very different directions took the stage.
Dr. Anna Palabyab-Rufino is a board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of BeautiqueMD. Years in practice and in the beauty industry have given her a close view of how our relationship with beauty changes over time, and of how younger patients now come in more informed and engaged than ever.
Rosanna Periquet balances a corporate career with a business of her own. Alongside her work in leasing and retail development at Ayala Malls, she co-founded Cariñosa during the pandemic. The footwear brand brings traditional Filipino textiles into contemporary designs.
Dr. Palabyab-Rufino started things off from the clinic’s perspective. Dermatology has become an increasingly influential part of the beauty conversation, with patients arriving armed with their own research, opinions, and ideas about what they want, and doctors having to weigh these alongside their medical expertise. She spoke about confidence, the trust patients place in their doctors, and the business lessons that medical training doesn’t teach.
“Seeing a dermatologist, it’s more like a long-term relationship. I’m not afraid to lose a patient on the first visit,” said Dr. Palabyab-Rufino. “If you don’t agree with what I have to say, then maybe I’m not the right dermatologist for you. And if you are willing to work with me and we can collaborate on things, then it becomes a long-term relationship. Which is actually what our skin and our faces need, right? It’s not a one-time thing once a year.”
Periquet picked up the thread from the business side. Her brand began to feel real, she said, when customers extended beyond her circle of friends. She spoke about balancing the creative and commercial sides of a growing brand, and about making Filipino heritage feel current without reducing it to a gimmick.
“That was actually the first thing my partner and I were discussing when we wanted to start our business. We were like, ‘Why don’t people our age like to wear Filipino textile so much?’ It can feel very… occasion-based,” she said. “When we started Cariñosa, we wanted to make our products wearable for everybody. So in the beginning, we did everything with textile, down to the straps, the heels. Now we’ve evolved a little bit because we know what people our age like to wear.”
Building a business, Periquet added, also means accepting that you won’t have every answer before you begin. When she started Cariñosa, one of the first people she turned to was her ninang (godmother), the entrepreneur behind fashion brands Orange Juice and Big & Small. Her advice was that much of running a business comes down to letting go and trusting your gut.
“You can never be 100% prepared,” Periquet said. “So I like to think to myself, as long as I’m 90% prepared, the 10% I can learn along the way.” It’s a principle she lives by, and for her, it’s where confidence comes from.
“I think that’s where confidence really comes in—having the courage and grit to take that next step, even when there’s still some uncertainty,” she said.
Their paths were different, but the questions they faced had common ground. How do you earn trust, whether someone is placing their skin or their money in your hands? When do you embrace a trend, and when do you decide it’s not for you? They also discussed what they admire about younger women, and the lessons passed down by tho ones who came before them and opened doors for them. Dr. Palabyab-Rufino’s advice to the next generation was simple: “There are no shortcuts to success. Listen to those who have come before you.” Ultimately, it was a conversation about finding your place at the table and making room for others once you’re there.
“I think that’s where confidence really comes in—having the courage and grit to take that next step, even when there’s still some uncertainty.”—Rosanna Periquet
Passing It On
True to the forum’s spirit, the floor then opened to guests, who brought their own questions and stories to the speakers.
The afternoon ended with one last act of sharing. Each guest wrote down a beauty secret on a card and passed it along to the next woman. Everyone got a card to take home—a little piece of beauty wisdom from someone else in the room, perhaps from a different generation entirely.
It was a small gesture, but it captured what the afternoon was about. At its best, beauty isn’t something we keep to ourselves. It moves between mothers and daughters, between friends and strangers, from one generation to the next and back again. Mary Kay has built its legacy on that kind of connection for more than six decades, and as guests left with someone else’s secret in hand, its message rang true: Beauty is more beautiful shared.
To know more about Mary Kay, visit marykayglobal.com or follow Mary Kay on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
