Good Miss Universe performance puts Philippines’ plants in global beauty map

MANILA, Philippines — From fad food ingredients, Philippine products such as turmeric and red rice have been identified as the next big things in global beauty industry, thanks to the country’s good performance in international beauty pageants like Miss Universe, international beauty experts said.

“The beauty industry in the Philippines is worth 40 billion pesos currently, and expected to grow from five to 10 percent annually in the coming years. It is natural for us to continuously aim to grow the Philippine beauty industry with its world-renowned beauty raw materials such as coconut, and its fame in beauty pageants such as Miss Universe,” explained CP Saw, Director of Beauty Portfolio ASEAN of Malaysia-based company Informa Markets, which reportedly has 30 years of global beauty trade show experience.

Philippines’ first organic cosmetic garden

Turmeric, which is abundant in the Philippines, has been considered as “the next big thing in the beauty industry” as it is a “perfect raw material” due to its curcumin, the key ingredient with anti-inflammatory and antioxidants that may be made as facial masks and other skincare products.  

“Plants like madre de cacao, which has anti-inflammatory properties that can cure skin problems, coconut, which is the mother of all cosmetic materials, aloe vera and calamansi, which are damous or whitening and moisturizing, are being grown and protected in our cosmetic garden,” said Linda Yu, president of the Philippine Society for Cosmetic Science Inc., an organization of formulators and scientists in the cosmetics industry in the country.  

“Our natural red rice is another promising beauty raw material, as our very own International Rice Research Institute noted that our red rice is the best of its kind than any other rice in the world that are currently made into skincare and cosmetic products,” Yu said.

“Our raw materials from plants will be developed, and then the second phase would be to standardize the plants.”

These plants are among those being grown and protected in what has been touted as the country’s first organic cosmetic garden, one of the highlights of the upcoming Philbeauty 2019 international beauty convention in SMX Convention Center in Pasay City from June 4 to 6, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Conceptualized by the Philippine Society for Cosmetic Science Inc., the cosmetic garden is being developed in a space provided by the University of Santo Tomas.

According to Yu, the organic cosmetic garden has been inspired by a number of beauty gardens in the world, with famous ingredients such as Jeju Island extracts from Korea and Sakura extracts from Japan.

“The first ever cosmetic garden in the country has been in the works since the first quarter of the year. It is made to showcase all our locally grown plants here in the Philippines which have been raved outside the country for their cosmetic use. These plants have ingredients that can be used in making makeup, lotions, creams, soaps and hair products.”

Spotlight on Filipino makeup manufacturers

There are very few manufacturers of makeup in the country, and among the biggest ones is Refinette Cosmetics Corporation, a proud Filipino company that has been producing makeup products for both local and international cosmetics brands for 28 years. 

“A lot of huge makeup brands in the country do not have manufacturing facilities, equipment and labor resources inside the Philippines, and we do have the some of the biggest beauty factories located in Bulacan. Our sister company, Eurochemicals, import the world’s top raw materials from the USA, France and Switzerland, making sure that your beauty products are indeed at the same level with international makeup brands,” said Rowena Sanchez of Refinette Cosmetics. 

Over 200 international beauty brand manufacturers and producers from 24 countries are expected to participate at the fifth year of the convention this year, from raw material suppliers and formulation chemists, to packaging manufacturers from here and abroad.

Apart from botanicals available in the Philippines, here are other international beauty trends reportedly to be tackled in the convention:

Do-it-yourself cosmetics

Celebrities are into the hype of creating their own makeup lines, from Hollywood’s Kylie Jenner Cosmetics, to Philippines’ own Sunnies Face by Georgina Wilson and friends, BLK Cosmetics by actress Anne Curtis and Vice Cosmetics by Vice Ganda. This is proof that the beauty industry is literally blooming.

Like Kylie and Vice Ganda, anyone can now her own customized makeup collection, thanks to new boutiques offering raw materials one can mix and match.
Vegan beauty products have been making news lately due to their presumed safer, healthier ingredients. At the convention, there will be educational workshops on how to create various vegan products under the expertise of the country’s top cosmetic scientists.

Among the workshops being organized are how to create natural radiance cream, silicone sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner bars, sun-care products and vegan matte lipsticks.   

Marrie Strachan, cosmetic scientist of Organic Artisan Lab which produces vegan beauty products in the Philippines and Australia, will be teaching how to make vegan matte lipstick.

“The participants can be sure that they can create vegan matte crème lipsticks made of professional and unique formulas that are at par with international beauty standards. The ingredients are carefully selected, studied and tested, made with plant-derived, paraben-free, non-toxic and healthy ingredients. We are using plant oils and vegetable waxes in creating our very own liquid crème lipstick that they can surely be proud to personally use, share with their friends, or sell to people,” Marrie assured.

K beauty 

The convention is reportedly expected to draw together raw material suppliers, manufacturers and distributors from the Philippines and abroad to exhibit the latest trends, technologies and innovations such as Korean beauty.

Among those that will showcase the latest K beauty trends is Korean Beauty Institute, a non-invasive clinic and beauty academy, which offers short courses on Korean skincare, semi-permanent makeup, Korean nails, Korean scalp care and eyelash volumes developed by Karen Alberto, the first Filipina who bagged a place at the prestigious K-Beauty Olympics held in Korea in 2017. A certified Permanent Makeup Artist and Instructor by Miyong Alliance in Manila and LK Beauty Lab in Seoul, Korea, Karen is sharing her expertise in Korean beauty through her school and clinic.

First ever permanent makeup convention in the Philippines

Since permanent makeup has been considered as among the hottest things in the beauty world right now, the first ever Permanent Makeup (PMU) Master Class Congress will be among the convention’s highlights.

PMU experts from South Korea, Thailand, China and the Philippines will hold their master classes on pixel brows, pearl BB glow skin, eyelash breeding, microblading, paradise shine lips and scalp micro-pigmentation. Participants can have a hands-on experience with models as they learn from Asia’s top PMU professionals, and be part of on-the-spot competitions.

Conceptualized by renowned Malaysian makeup artist Steven Sunny, the MakeUp Box segment has been the highlight of several beauty events in Southeast Asia.

The segment is mainly a platform for top-notch makeup artists in Asia to share their new techniques in hair and makeup, as well as forecast the latest trends. 

Jim Ryan Ros, hair and makeup artist and coach for Aces&Queens and consultant for Inglot Cosmetics, among others, is one of the 12 featured makeup stylists this year. 

“MakeUp Box aims to make sure that the makeup artists are at par with the growth of the makeup artistry and industry in the Southeast Asian region,” Ros shared.

Male grooming on the rise

The convention is also launching its first ever barber show to forecast the latest in grooming trends for the male clientele, and its first ever spa conference by Asia Pacific Spa and Wellness Coalition.

Another highlight is the Artistry Award, a grand competition show of hair and makeup creations by professional makeup artists. This year’s theme is “Filipino Beauty Fantasy.”  

The convention also features pavilions from China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and other parts of the world, which will showcase their latest beauty innovations. Representatives from over 24 countries and regions are expected to offer over 20 technical seminar and presentations.

“The reason we launched Philbeauty in 2014 was because a lot of international companies requested us to organize a trade show in the Philippines, because there was not one beauty trade show available in the Philippines that time. We started with less than 50 exhibitors, and now we have over 200 international and local companies joining us,” Saw said.