VMV Hypoallergenics: Veni, vedi, vici

In 2008, re-nowned homegrown brand VMV Hypoallergenics’ sun protection line, Armada, was featured in W magazine. Two years after the Armada feature came out VMV opened a Skin-Specialist Boutique on 868 Broadway in Manhattan.

Months later, it has proved to be a wellspring of rave reviews, not only from the city’s sensitive skin sufferers, but from beauty editors and Hollywood celebrities as well.

In a fickle city where everyone is always on to the next hot thing, VMV has quickly built a solid reputation for its science-based approach to skincare, soothing facials and no-nonsense products that work as promised.

On The Radar spoke with Marie-Julie Weckerlé Ona, Global Markets Manager at VMV Hypoallergenics about venturing into New York, breakthrough allergen-free cosmetics, influential fans, and world domination. 

PHILIPPINE STAR: What made you decide to open a flagship store/spa in New York City, and in this economic climate at that?

VMV created Skintelligent Beauty, a line of paraben- and preservative-free makeup that is 100 percent free of irritating waxes, pthalates, parabens, preservatives and all types of fragrances.

MARIE-JULIE WECKERLÉ ONA: Niche/specialty cosmetics are actually where some of the largest growth is happening in cosmetics and skincare. VMV already has 30 years of brand development with clinical legitimacy from so many publications and was, simply put, ready for global expansion.

In order for the brand to be taken seriously, New York City was one of the most important cities to venture into, being a global influencer as well as being in the largest cosmetics market in the world. The brand has roots in New York City and the East Coast, so it was a second home with which we were already very familiar.

While we are working with department stores and specialty concept stores (such as C.O. Bigelow), a flagship store, or VMV Skin-Specialist Boutique as we call them, was always the first goal as our boutiques showcase the brand in its entirety.

The economic climate was, of course, a concern, but it also presented an opportunity. VMV’s flagship is located a block away from Union Square. Such as prime location would’ve been impossible to find just a few years ago.

Tell us more about your Manhattan outpost, what can a newbie discover?

We have a wide product range for men, women and children, from prevention/basic skincare to advanced treatments, to makeup to lifestyle items and facial services.

A VMV Skin-Specialist Boutique also enables us to welcome the consumer into our world: there’s a play are for children while their moms have facial treatments; a putting green where husbands can practice without rushing their girlfriends or wives who are playing with our makeup shades! The interior is warm and friendly, yet scientific and clinical!

Your Manhattan store/spa is barely a year old, and customers are really flocking to it. What are the best sellers?

We have been so lucky at the overwhelmingly positive response since the opening of the VMV Skin-Specialist Boutique in New York.

Our best sellers span across all our product categories, but perennial favorites include Armada Face Cover 30, Grandma Minnie’s The Big, Brave Boo-Boo Balm, Re-Everything Primary Treatment Cream and our new Tarte-à-Tan Bronzing Powder.

During the very harsh New York winter earlier this year, Moisture-Rich Creammmy Moisturizer and Grandma Minnie’s Mommy-Coddling All-Over Lotion and Know-it-Oil flew off the shelves to help soothe dry skin, a common concern during cold weather. I have to say, though, the Boo-Boo Balm has become such a cult hit, even among celebrities.

I have been following a couple of NYC beauty editors like Teen Vogue’s Eva Chen on Twitter, and I couldn’t help but notice the rave reviews on your spa!

This was a really pleasant surprise. We’ve always gotten wonderful responses and support from US beauty editors — they’ve been instrumental to the growing success of VMV internationally. Seeing them tweet and share on their personal accounts how much they love the brand just bowled us over.

VMV’s new line of allergen-free lipsticks are is in color yet free of fragrance, parabens, pthalates, preservatives, even dyes.

Having such key influencers try and fall in love with the products helps spread the word and grow our brand awareness. VMV is the type of brand that needs a lot more explaining and experiencing than your traditional beauty brand. PR has been the strongest marketing tool for us to penetrate new markets and with features in Vogue, Elle, Allure and the like we’ve been able to create some noise. Editors are the most critical consumers as they are exposed to all the information and have to be highly selective about the brands they talk about. We’ve been to those offices and you almost can’t move from the quantity of products that they get! On top of products, editors also regularly seek for the newest facial treatments in town.

VMV has really gone global, with Hollywood stars like Susan Sarandon, Selma Blair and Jennifer Garner becoming fans.

We are beyond ecstatic to hear that some of our favorite Hollywood stars are fans. Just recently, Selma Blair tweeted that VMV’s Grandma Minnie Mom&Baby line was among her must-haves for her newborn son. Such moments definitely make all the hard work worth it.

I learned that VMV came out with Skintelligent Beauty, which is a line of paraben- and preservative-free makeup. What exciting products should we watch out for?

Skintelligent Beauty is all about Dye-Paraben-Phthalate-Irritant-Free Makeup. We’ve actually been doing friendly beauty since the 1980s. In a nutshell, Skintelligent Beauty is so much of what so many of us at VMV, and our customers, want to be—smart, beautiful, and really, really kind.

We have a bunch of product launches lined up. We recently launched one of the most fundamental anchor products: our Skin-The-Bluff Concealer. It blots out blemishes, shushes shadows, disguises discolorations, and downplays dark circles. It comes in light, medium and deep shades that work with all skin tones, plus a discoloration-canceling green and redness-reducing, eye-pepping yellow. It also prevents irritations, acne and darkening. And of course, it’s 100-percent free of irritating waxes, pthalates, parabens, preservatives and all types of fragrances.

You have recently conquered Bangkok by opening counters at Siam Paragon, and will be opening soon in Mexico. How’s the response in the international market?

The response has been wonderful so far. VMV is now available in seven countries, not to mention the ones we serve through our secure online store, including countries like Germany, Spain, South Africa, the Faroe Islands, Norway — even remote ice floes in Norway via special delivery!

I am also working on launching in the E.U. While I can’t reveal much more about it now, it is quite an exciting development and will further put VMV on the international map of the beauty industry!

Marie-Julie Weckerlé Ona, global markets manager for VMV Hypoallergenics

VMV is proof that Filipino companies can be truly world class and can stand out in the global beauty arena. What do you think are the secrets to VMV’s success?

One of VMV’s core values has always been “gumption.” Our dreams are often too big for our britches, but that’s how we’ve achieved some surprising, exceptional feats. Our success is undoubtedly linked to the quality of our research and the products we produce, but also to the people behind the brand; we’ve got the guts, boldness, and perseverance to take on big ideas and make them work.

At VMV, the outlook has been global since the beginning. We have never used our origin as a key message for our brand as we believe that it neither added nor hindered the brand in any way.

Instead, we focused on simply producing kick-ass cosmetics, backing all our claims by objective studies, many of which have been published in medical journals and even awarded in global journals and conventions. Very few brands can say that. Evidence-based science is undeniable and objective, it’s not a marketing fad.

In order to make the hard-core science more approachable, VMV has been able to maintain a very strong branding. The multi-cultural heritage, a mix of Philippines, US and Argentina, is showcased in every little detail from packaging to print materials all the way to the way we communicate about the brand. It’s that global feel that also made VMV easy to introduce to different markets.

Being a funky little niche brand, our international success has been greatly dependent on finding the right partners. We work with people that understand the brand, love the brand and are committed to making it grow without compromising its integrity.

* * *

For more about VMV, visit www.vmvhypoallergenics.com.