MANILA, Philippines — With the beauty market becoming crowded every quarter as it sees new brands and existing brands introducing new, specialized products, it can be confusing for most, especially who are just jumping into their preferred beauty regimen.
There are brands that have managed to made their presence known. One of them bears a strikingly familiar packaging that is favored by many brands these days, and it is proudly Filipino-made with the Philippines' tropical weather in mind.
Dermorepubliq is among the popular skincare brands on TikTok Shop Philippines. Its conception is similar to how other skincare brands were conceived: addressing the skincare woes of its founder.
"The brand was developed and launched in 2020 as my way of addressing my own skincare concerns. I was struggling with acne problems due to stress at work and I wanted to create effective solutions that others could also benefit from," said founder Keith Corwin Sta. Barbara to Philstar.com in an email interview.
As a fledgling beauty company, Sta. Barbara's skincare brand is banking on simplicity and minimalism, a key beauty trend these days.
Its packaging is as straight-to-the-point as it is, with labels for the percentages of active ingredients clearly visible on the front label, as opposed to the past practice where these are lumped together in tiny, unreadable words at the back.
The packaging also looks clean, mostly in white and black letters. The bottle configurations either come in spray, pump, or dropper formats, which can help minimize unnecessary or excessive leakage or spoilage, leading to waste.
The brand's site features a helpful interface, categorizing its products according to their functions. There are sub-sections that are clearly defined for various skin concerns i.e. anti-aging and anti-acne. There are also product features that immediately says their targeted concerns, such as dull skin, moisture booster and dark spot corrector.
"I personally designed the packaging: to reflect our simple yet effective formulations. I aimed for a simple, minimalistic and direct-to-the-point design. Product labels and boxes mention specific percentages of active ingedients, emphasizing our commitment to transparency," explained Sta. Barbara.
Staff reviews
Philstar.com staff tried some of the products and shared some of their thoughts:
A male staff generally liked the Serum with 10%Niacinamide, 3%Tranexamic Acid, 2% Alpha Arbutin.
He commended its quantity, which he said was a lot because a bottle lasted for two and a half months with him. He also liked that the serum was easy to put on his hands.
He said the serum gets easily absorbed into his skin and it was not "mahapdi."
"Mas naging maayos ang skin ko. Mas clearer, mas malinis tignan. It works so well na naging sensitive ulit ang skin ko," he said.
Another female staff gave one of the brand's facial washes a try. She particularly loved that it was able to control the oil on her face with its lightweight formula and nice fragrance.
She noted how the product said it has a foaming formula but minimal foam was produced when she lathered it on her skin. She also felt that her skin was dry sometimes.
Overall, she gave it a generally positive review with its minimal sting, just like the male staffer, and its refreshing feel on her skin.
New facility
Sta. Barbara shared that their brand has an Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved manufacturing facility in Barangka, Marikina. It is also set to open its new state-of-the-art 1,700-square-meter manufacturing facility in Antipolo that will help the company scale its production and support for the demand of its products.
"(The brand) identifies itself as a Filipino skincare brand. We formulated our products specifically for Filipinos and our tropical weather. We are proud to be part of the local industry and contribute to the local economy," Sta. Barbara said.
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