Proudly Pinoy

The business of pharmaceuticals is one of the biggest in the global arena.  Our local drug companies have already taken giant strides to challenge the multinationals’ position in the Philippines for most non-specialized drugs, and this is something we can take pride in. Using local, but equally efficacious and reliable medicines is ultimately best for the consumers, specifically the marginalized segment of the population.

This also goes for specialized skin care products, especially those that do not fall under the cosmetics line.  We came across a Filipino company that has been around for close to 40 years now.  That is 40 years of providing relief to thousands of consumers with ultra–sensitive dermatologic needs.

VMV Hypoallergenics is now run by Laura Verallo de Bertotto, CEO and creative director of the company, but it was started by her mother, a US- educated dermatologist and derma-pathologist back in Bogo, Cebu.  As a practicing dermatologist, among the constant complaints she had to address were contact acne and contact allergy usually caused by commercial products applied on the skin and head. Frustrated, she researched extensively on the problems, conducted her own clinical studies and formulated her own solutions to address the issue.  Her American husband, a businessman, thought it would be a good idea to serve the need for such hypoallergenic products, a niche that needed to be filled.  That was how VMV, the company started in 1979.

In the ’70s, many imported cosmetics and skin care products filled the market, all of them priced beyond the budget of the ordinary consumer, but more significantly, most of them were not science-based in their formulations.  Woe to those who have sensitive skin or scalp or even gums because their problems would recur and become a constant problem.  Doctors’ fees are, likewise, an added burden.

VMV Hypoallergenics started formulating simple products like shampoo, facial cleansers, sunscreens, soaps, and even toothpaste. Their concern was purely medical, so one can imagine that not much thought was given to packaging and even marketing. Laura said that even back in the ’80s, they already had many closet users, consumers who used their products at home, but not openly because these were not “fashionable or chic.”  Their toothpaste, for instance, wasn’t the typical one that had fluoride or mint flavor. With no commercial additives that do not enhance the product’s efficacy, their toothpaste tasted flat, but worked well for those with typical allergic reactions to artificial color or flavoring, or the presence of fluoride. This also worked for their shampoos and soaps which do not have fragrance like all the other similar products in the market. 

Quite a big segment of users actually have reactions to products that have so much additives and this often results in contact acne and contact dermatitis.  One out of four users has allergic reactions to cosmetics, which is why we now have a new crop of cosmetics formulators who use natural or organic cosmetics.  These are good, a lot better of course than those that use chemicals in their formulations.  However, going hypoallergenic goes even beyond the natural and organic trend because it is science-based unlike most others.

What struck me with the interview with Laura Verallo de Bertotto and VMV’s chief business development Officer Anna Anastacio was their declaration of the company’s mission:  to take care of the world’s skin.

Taking care of the world’s skin means taking the brand to foreign shores as well, which is no mean feat.  The Philippines is not known globally for quality skin care, so selling Filipino skin care products was a big challenge. But because there was strong science to back the brand, the company was able to slowly and steadily penetrate the global market. VMV’s extensive research and clinical studies got published in international journals in the United States and Germany, and these studies backed their brand. As Ms. De Bertotto explained, it is not easy to have one’s clinical studies published internationally, and having one published clinical study would be a feather in one’s medical hat. VMV Hypoallergenic has, on record, at least 75 internationally published clinical studies.  That’s a lot of feathers to crow about and that should be enough for the rest of the world to sit up and take notice of this proudly Filipino company slowly invading their shores with a measure of success.

The company has been in business for almost four decades and they are cognizant of the fact that product efficacy must also be coupled with attractive packaging. They have opened themselves to this as a concession to the business side. However, they are standing pat on their strict policy of providing complete product information on their packaging so that users are always aware of what gets in contact with their body when they use VMV products.

One of the key strategies they adopted is their partnership with medical doctors, specifically dermatologists who are constantly dealing with contact dermatitis.  This is a strategy that they are adopting in their foreign markets as well.

Now, VMV products are used in the United States, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Austria, Sweden and Norway.  They continue to develop new and better products, from sun screen with higher SPFs to anti-aging, laundry soap and hypoallergenic make-up.  From single counters in select department stores, they now have stand-alone boutiques.  Over the years, VMV Hypoallergenics has grown into a lifestyle brand and they now sell online, retail, wholesale, and of course, through their partner doctors. They entertain questions in their own website, most of which involve skin problems like eczema, rosacea, and others.

We have good formulators in the country, and we are abundant in natural resources.  Our virgin coconut oil is very promising.  The business of skin care is very big in Thailand, Taiwan, and even Indonesia. The Philippines can easily join their ranks, if only the government will recognize how prioritizing this sector can spur a robust industry through sustained support and subsidies.

Kudos to VMV Hypoallergenics.

Mabuhay!!!  Be proud to be a Filipino.

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