Local beauty brands that found success on Lazada to inspire you to start your own in 2023
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Makeup has always been a hot topic in and outside the beauty industry. Yet as much as the business brings magic with every little product launched in the market, the race between brands can be tight and populous, especially online.
With new names popping here and there, setting up your own cosmetics line can be intimidating. Learning how to use your goals as your foundation and blending them with hard work and a dab of fun can definitely turn your brand into a cult favorite.
And, of course, partnering with a long-reigning e-commerce channel like Lazada will get you off to a good start. As the top player in Southeast Asia, this online shopping platform provides medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam with a broad reach and tools to expand their businesses further.
Leading Pinoy beauty brands like Happy Skin, blk cosmetics, Sunnies Face, and more have discovered the benefits of e-commerce and further expanded their brands through their partnership with Lazada and its new LazBeauty Club.
If you’re looking to start your own e-commerce beauty business this year, allow PhilSTAR L!fe to share with you these brands’ online success stories that will inspire you to give your life and career its much-needed glow-up.
Jacqueline Yuengtian-Gutierrez, owner and CEO of Happy Skin and blk cosmetics
Considered one of the trailblazers in the local beauty scene, Jacqueline Yuengtian-Gutierrez entered the industry through her first makeup brand, Happy Skin, in October 2013.
Happy Skin, according to Jacqe, initially had difficulty entering the market at a time when “social media isn’t what social media is now.” Driven by the desire to prove that Pinoy-made is synonymous with world-class, the pioneer in local premium makeup eventually expanded from having five stalls to 75 booths in department stores across the country in a span of five years.
Noticing that “there was still a gap” in the local beauty market and still wanting to reduce it, the businesswoman went on to build blk cosmetics in September 2017 with actress Anne Curtis.
“I then started blk with Anne. She’s also super in love with makeup and she’s been wanting to create her own brand,” Jacqe recounted. “I wanted a brand that can reach out to a lot of people and Anne, obviously, is someone who can reach to a lot of people.”
Living by the philosophy of “uncomplicated beauty,” blk likewise forayed into the local beauty industry without the challenges Happy Skin experienced ten years ago.
“People back then had the knowledge that Filipino brands can bring very, very good products. Also, social media was at the height of it then, online selling like Lazada was there so our growth became super fast,” Jacqe said. “We immediately went to Lazada so immediately, we had access to Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao in a day.”
In that same year, Jacqe opened Happy Skin’s flagship store in Lazada, and today, both brands have been mainstays in the platform’s top five best-selling beauty lines in the Philippines.
Apart from the revenue, the CEO considers Lazada’s strong presence, even during the pandemic, its biggest contribution to her company. She explained, “We paid everyone in full, we didn’t lay off anyone. We only managed to do that because we were still getting our income from Lazada because Lazada was continually selling.”
As a way of giving back, Happy Skin and blk cosmetics are both offering “a lot of buy 1 take 1” offers during Lazada’s Epic 11th Birthday Sale on going until March 13.
Asked for her advice on aspiring online sellers who would like to succeed in the business, Jacqe has this to say: “For me, it’s very important to do your products well. And if you’re very confident with your product, partner with Lazada because they will help you sell your product, promote your product, and if it sells well, the repeat will be high.”
Jess Wilson, co-founder and brand manager of Sunnies Face
Jessica Wilson, or “Jess” for short, has been accustomed to the limelight, being a model and the younger sister of Georgina Wilson. While being popular sure has its perks, it was the complete opposite when Jess started Sunnies Face with Georgina, their cousin Martine Ho, and friend Bea Soriano-Dee.
“I remember saying as a young student that I wanted to have my own beauty brand with my sister. That was always my dream,” Jesse told L!fe. “And when we started the business, it was so scary. There wasn’t much local brands in the market yet, and we just fought really strongly in giving Filipinos a brand that suited the Filipino skin tone. We really believed in that and accessible beauty for all.”
The four women leaders beat out the challenges by partnering with Lazada from day one. “We actually launched with Lazada,” Jess said, noting that they opened their shop on midnight of Aug. 8, 2018.
“People are clamoring for our lipstick and Lazada was there to back us up. We were able to bring products to people at 6 a.m. the next day,” Jesse recounted. “That was really part of the excitement, and people were able to get our products right away. It created momentum for the brand.”
Almost five years into the business, Sunnies Face has been shipping out its Fluffmatte, Airblush, and Skin So Good multistick (to name a few) all over the Philippines and abroad. Unknown to many, Jess and her team established their global presence without shortcuts.
She explained, “We gifted organically to international makeup artists. They would message us, we would send them, it was very informal. We would send it to them for free and it became a cult internationally. People would be talking about us and demanding we bring our products to the U.S., so it organically happened.”
Today, Sunnies Face has over 15 stand-alone branches in malls, in addition to several stalls inside department stores. Looking back, Jess wouldn’t have done it any other way, as she advises aspiring entrepreneurs to start their businesses the same way they did with Lazada.
“There’s a lot in Lazada. They’ll be able to support you, help you with your forecast, and push your brand. Start with online—know your consumer, what they’re looking for, what they want—and then you can build more confidence and also investment to do it offline,” she said.
Grateful for its partnership with the e-commerce platform, Sunnies Face is celebrating Lazada’s Epic 11thBirthday Sale with more surprises for its customers: “We have up to 30% off on all our best-selling products, everyone’s favorites are gonna be there, and with every P795 purchase, you get a Sunnies Face Milky Tort Mirror which is great for those on-the-go touchups.”
Nina Ellaine Dizon-Cabrera, owner and CEO of Colourette Cosmetics/Fresh Formula
Nina Ellaine Dizon-Cabrera is no doubt a popular name among online and offline beauty circles. Still, many do not know that the beauty magnate started small on social media and e-commerce platforms.
Nina founded Niv Della Beauty Innovations, which owns Colourette Cosmetics, back in 2015. She told L!fe that back then, she just wanted to create “makeup for Filipinos by Filipinos” as there weren’t many options available for local consumers.
“We started very, very small. Wala kaming pera,” she continued. “That’s why we became one of the B2C (business-to-consumer) brands kasi we simply didn’t have a choice. We started our journey online, we sold on social media, and then when we on-boarded Lazada in 2016, that’s when our journey started talaga.”
Three years later, Nina expanded her company with the launch of her Fresh Formula skincare brand. Apart from partnering with Lazada, she attributes her success to her company’s ethos of making the Filipino community their top priority.
“We listen to our consumers through and through. We are a community-centric brand so everything that we launch, it’s fueled by the preferences and requests of our community. Aside from that, we have our data—what do our consumers want, what do they need, where in the market can we fill a gap—and that’s what we work on. We take our products into consideration—puwede ba sa Filipino budget, Filipino skin tone, Filipino weather, and sa Filipino lifestyle?”
The clamor for her products has since remained strong, that’s why she launched yet more variatns of Colourette's Colourbalm during Lazada’s Epic 11th Birthday Sale.
This is on top of the promos the brand released on March 3, as a way of giving back the support she has been getting from the e-commerce platform. This includes a channel to sell her products anywhere in the country and, at the same time, opportunities to hone her entrepreneurial skills further as one of the “top performers in the platform.”
“As a merchant, Lazada has supported us through and through in terms of educating us. I was event sent to China to take an Alibaba course when it comes to digital and e-commerce,” Nina recounted.
“We were a group of sellers na pinadala sa headquarters ng Alibaba in China back in 2019. We did a course there, and ang dami naming natutunan, mga best practices ng sellers sa China—mga listing, executions, and even up to digital advertising. Isa pa din ‘yun sa mga inaapply ko up to this day sa mga e-commerce methods namin.”
With all things considered, Nina then encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to start their business online first: “I think it’s the smartest thing to do kasi it’s free, it’s organic. Kasi kami, napilitan kami magstart onine kasi there’s no overhead cost, libre. For budding entrepreneurs, matalino na gawin ‘yun. You would get to know your consumers more, you get to build your community para kapag ready ka na to go to offline, puwede na.”
Arianne Amante, CEO of Clocheflame
For Arianne Amante, the value of embracing one’s unique beauty is one that should be shared with her fellow Filipinas. With this in mind, she took the risk of leaving her corporate job to launch Clocheflame in 2020.
“My fascination with makeup and beauty developed from this pressure to look good. And then later on, I realized, true beauty comes from within. That’s when I started dreaming of creating a brand that would empower you to look beautiful without conforming to societal standards. So that’s what I wanted for Clocheflame,” Arianne told L!fe.
Clocheflame specializes in makeup with “easy-to-use formula” and “reasonable price points.” This includes bestsellers called All-Around Flush, TLC Spray, Dream Filter, and Lip Muse.
While the 25-year-old entrepreneur wouldn’t deny going through stress opening up shop during the pandemic, she and Clocheflame CFO Katrina Llegado admit to braving the challenges because of Lazada.
“Being in Lazada impacted us in a way that we connected to a wider customer base, especially we just came from a pandemic and shopping online is convenient. When we launched, we launched with Lazada right away ‘cause we know that this will push our sales,” Katrina said.
Apart from this, the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 second runner-up said that the promos and events being launched the e-commerce platform give brands like Clocheflame the “recognition and support” they need to boost their sales.
Similar to other LazBeauty brands, Arianne and Katrina are giving away up to 50% discount on Clocheflame products plus stackable vouchers of up to 70% off during Lazada's ongoing anniversary sale.
Other Lazada Epic 11th Birthday Sale offers
In addition to local makeup lines like Happy Skin, blk cosmetics, Sunnies Face, Colourette, and Clocheflame, global skincare brands like Kiehl’s and Unilever are likewise giving back to Lazada and its customers through the platform’s Epic 11th Birthday Sale.
Kiehl’s e-Key Account Manager Aya Africa said the brand will have “exclusive discounts, promos, savings of up to 50%” on their best sellers, including the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution. In addition, Kiehl’s will be giving away limited-edition tote bags as part of its pre-sale offers and will be holding “live streams with a lot of KOLs.”
Meanwhile, Unilever will have raffles and discounts of up to 50% “not just on [its] beauty brands, but also in homecare and food assortment,” according to Digital Commerce Lead for Pureplay, Joselle dela Rosa.
Explore more local and global beauty brands during the Lazada Epic 11th Birthday Sale until March 13. Find out more by visiting the Lazada website and its social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Editor’s Note: BrandedUp is designed to provide you with insightful, inspiring and educational content created by PhilSTAR L!fe in collaboration with brands like Lazada.