Meet the people breaking barriers and paving the way for Filipino Beauty. We’re recognizing 15 household names who worked hard this year to put us on the map, whether it’s in the form of content creation, founding beauty brands, or bringing the latest industry knowledge to our shores.
Teree Daisuke
Among countless creators, Tiktok’s beauty creator of the year, Teree Daisuke, clearly stands out. Teree connects with his audience at a personal level—making each one of them feel as if they’re simply conversing with a friend. And this friend just happens to be really, really good at makeup.
On his page you’ll find beginner-friendly makeup and skincare tutorials, product reviews and looks that champion F-beauty, and heaps of silly videos guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Despite the 1.2 million follower count, Teree remains extremely humble and approachable, a statement both his industry colleagues and audience can vouch for. An inspiration for aspiring content creators, Teree was no overnight success but credits his Tiktok achievements to consistent hard work.
Marj Maroket
Marj Maroket’s rise to TikTok stardom started in the middle of the pandemic. We all hardly went out, but if anything, Marj’s growing beauty channel was proof that skincare and makeup was never about being seen by other people, but rather about feeling good about one’s self. And that’s what Marj stands for.
On her channel, she truly showcased her expertise–not just in skincare and makeup, but in connecting with her audience–and it’s garnered the attention of beauty brands, both here and abroad. If it’s any indication of her reach, this year, Marj collaborated with household beauty brand Happy Skin to create her line of makeup brushes and recently also flew to Paris to party with the rest of the Kerastase club.
Margaux Arambulo-Lucena and Mike Lucena, co-founders of Dermtropics
Being the daughter of a dermatologist does have its perks, and for Margaux Arambulo-Lucena, that came in the form of having natural, skin and haircare solutions when there weren’t any available in the market. Using virgin coconut oil (or VCO) as her “secret ingredient,” her mother, Dr. Julieta Peralta-Arambulo, made bodycare products that were non-irritating and could address common skin and hair issues. Since the products were doing wonders, Margaux and her husband Mike decided to start Dermtropics to share this with the world.
The Philippines happens to be one of the best sources of VCO in the world, and we appreciate how Dermtropics uses the wet-milling process to extract its VCO–keeping its integrity and all the skin- and hair-loving benefits intact. Wet-milling can be more time-consuming and costly than other processes, but Margaux and Mike chose this route as it is more environment-friendly, too. What started as a pandemic project, is now a successful brand you can shop, both online and at the Power Plant Mall, their flagship store.
Dr. Vicki Belo
Without a doubt, Dr. Victoria “Vicki” Belo put Filipino beauty on the map–and fearlessly so, as she did it at a time when eyebrows were raised and her initiatives were met with criticism. She founded the Belo Medical Group 33 years ago, with the vision of making the Philippines the beauty hub of Asia. Today, she remains the driving force behind bringing the best beauty innovations, such as Picosure, Lutronic GENIUS, Thermage, ADVATx, and more, to the Philippines.
Collecting prestigious awards from multiple institutions, one of Dr. Vicki’s latest achievements is being the recipient of Allergan Aesthetic’s Diamond Award, making the Belo Medical Group the #1 clinic for botox and fillers in the Philippines.
Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas
With the democratization of media comes the spread of many myths and misleading information, especially in the beauty industry, who do you turn to? Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas’ mission is to clear things up by busting myths about the skin. A board-certified dermatologist with global speaking experience, she answers everyone’s burning questions on beauty, skincare, and treatments, and gives tips that are grounded in her years of medical practice.
Through her YouTube channel with almost 100K subscribers, she’s become one of the most prominent dermatologists on social media–and rightly so.
Joel Andrade, creative director of Issy
Filipino beauty brand Issy amazes us time and time again—and it’s not only because of their thoughtfully developed beauty products. And it’s thanks in large part to the genius of the brand’s creative force, Joel Andrade, who continues to push the boundaries of Filipino creativity.
Working with the talented Filipino creatives he brings together, Joel never disappoints, releasing campaigns and launching events that are just as compelling, edgy, and of-the-moment as their products. Their latest campaign, The Art of Skin, as always, featured a diverse array of beautiful models. Each model’s face was seemingly warped on Photoshop, but Joel shares that all of the warping was organic, creatively done using leaf blowers. If that’s not an indicator of genius, we don’t know what is–and us beauty fanatics can’t wait to see what’s next up his sleeve.
Mikka Marcaida, founder of Faboulash
Celebrity makeup artist, Mikka Marcaida, noticed that there aren’t a lot of false lashes available in the Philippines that are made to specifically suit Filipino or even Asian eyes. Being a makeup artist with a predominantly Asian clientele, this not only made her job more difficult but was also a pain point she shared with other makeup artists and beauty girls in the Philippines.
In 2016, Mikka founded Faboulash, the only homegrown Filipino falsies brand, to create high-quality and cruelty-free lashes that would flatter the shape of Asian eyes. Today, the brand has gained a cult following as it continues to offer a variety of lash styles to suit every eye shape, which can easily be used by beginners and professionals alike.
Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez, founder of Happy Skin and blk cosmetics
Ten years ago, Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez created a makeup line that enhanced one’s features and simultaneously cared for the skin. She called it Happy Skin.
Elevating F-beauty and how far it can go, Happy Skin truly ushered in the golden era of Filipino beauty, as Jacqe was bent on giving Filipinos what they deserved: top-of-line makeup and products that can truly compete with global standards, and at price points that reflected its good quality. Despite the pushback of Filipinos only willing to shop international brands at this price point, Happy Skin marched on releasing innovation after innovation, solidifying its status as a brand worth your coin. Today, Happy Skin has more than 70 skin-caring products at its counter and ships its F-beauty products worldwide.
Continuing to blaze the trail, Jacqe also went on to put up blk cosmetics, offering makeup that’s thoughtfully made of skin-loving ingredients.
Heart Evangelista
Always been a fashionista, Heart Evangelista continues to break barriers and make Filipino style savvants like her known in the global scene. An industry veteran, the actress and content creator remains a force in fashion–and beauty, too.
She is an artist, after all, which more than explains her taste and her eye for what works and what doesn’t. Heart is unsurprisingly the muse of makeup artist Albert Kurniawan’s luxe beauty line, and is one of the faces of the emerging beauty brand, Absidy.
Mae Layug, founder of GRWM
Being a true lover of makeup and often the first to review new releases, YouTuber Mae Layug knows a thing or two about the lack of makeup products in the market that are suitable for Filipino skin tones. So, GRWM (Get Ready With Me) was born.
Creating fun and high-performing products that rival global brands, Mae stays true to her mission of offering a broad shade range that flatters all skin tones, especially the Filipino skin tones often underserved by Western and East Asian beauty brands. Cases in point: two of GRWM’s latest releases, the Milk Tints, and the Radiant Skin Luminous Foundation, have 17 and 26 shades respectively.
Laura Verallo de Bortotto, CEO of VMV Hypoallergenics
VMV Hypoallergenics was the first—and is still the only—brand to rate its hypoallergenicity through the VM-rating system, a system that “grades” a product’s safety based on how many allergens it does not contain. It is, after all, founded decades ago by Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell, a board-certified clinical dermatologist, who specializes in contact allergies, phototherapy, hyperpigmentations, acne, psoriasis, and other diseases of the skin.
VMV Hypoallergenics is now run by Laura Verallo de Bortotto, who took over the reins and has steered the brand to where it is today, continuing its legacy of making well-thought-of and carefully formulated products that address skin concerns and truly care for the skin. In addition, Laura spearheads the creation of educational content to spread awareness on common allergens and all things skin through their blog, InSkin, and their primary social media channels, YouTube and Instagram.
Dr. Kaycee Reyes
“To look well, you have to be well,” says Dr. Kaycee Reyes, the founder of Luminisce Holistic Skin Innovations. Specializing in lasers and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), Dr. Kaycee brings a unique approach to the Philippine beauty market. She merges her expertise in dermatology with her learnings from further studies abroad in the specialized fields of Well-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, Traditional Medicine, and Holistic Wellness.
Dr. Kaycee also believes in having a bespoke approach to managing skin and other health issues, tailoring treatments and wellness practices to each patient’s specific goals and needs. Her popular YouTube channel, Luminisce by Doc Kaycee, also aims to spread her knowledge on the intersection of beauty and wellness.
Alex Gentry, Rina dela Calzada, Kim Reyes-Palanca, and Steph Oller, the founders and CEO behind Pure Culture
When Alex Gentry, Rina dela Calzada, and Kim Reyes-Palanca got together, they realized they had a common advocacy—beauty sustainability and the use of natural ingredients. Alex began her journey hand-making soap for family and friends. Since then, she started deep diving and learning more about natural, high-performing molecules. After reaching out to work with labs around the globe, she realized that her passion project could become a real business. This was the point wherein she asked Rina and Kim if they wanted to join her as partners. They made a powerful trio, with Rina’s advertising background and Kim’s experience as a beauty editor. Together, they created Pure Culture, a no-compromise, natural beauty brand. The brand has also recently welcomed Steph Oller, their CEO, who has been making the big moves and steering the brand behind the scenes to further heights. A dream team, their hard work has been paying off—and is getting them global recognition, too. Vegan Beauty Awards has just recognized their Bulgarian Rose Glam Gold Satin Creme as their Top Pick of 2023. Pure Culture is now also the Philippines’ first Plastic Neutral beauty brand, collecting 1lb of plastic from the ocean for every order on their website purecultureph.com
