Shades of change: How indie Filipino brands are redefining beauty

In recent years, the Philippines’ beauty scene has been in a period of major transformation—and the glow-up is real. Once dominated by global giants, the industry is now bursting with even more color as local brands step confidently into the spotlight.

This new wave of Filipino beauty brands has captured the market’s hearts (and faces) with products and campaigns driven by inclusivity, going beyond the one-size-fits-all approach that was previously the norm in makeup and skincare. By embracing the diversity of our skin tones and personal preferences and considering the country’s tropical climate, these homegrown names have fearlessly innovated for our needs to prove that formulas don’t need to come from overseas to be top-shelf-worthy.

Following the F-Beauty boom

Liz Lanuzo, a beauty writer of 17 years and the founder and editor of Project Vanity, perfectly sums up the evolution of F-Beauty (Filipino Beauty) in waves. 

“Brands like Ever Bilena, Nichido, In2It, Kokuryu, and Fanny Serrano, to name a few, dominated the limited beauty section in department stores since the 1980s. These are the pioneers who really set the stage,” she said. “Then the first wave of brands came sometime in the mid-2010s when beauty started to grow exponentially [around the world] with the rise of social media. Happy Skin, Colourette, Ellana, and Sunnies Face created the blueprint for the modern Filipino beauty brand.” These days, we enjoy more options with what Liz refers to as the second wave of F-Beauty. “Brands like Issy, GRWM Cosmetics, and Teviant, among others, shot to prominence during the pandemic as Filipino consumers started to fully embrace e-commerce,” Liz concluded.

What followed was the rise of indie beauty brands that Martha Sta. Barbara, a seasoned content creator and digital marketing, PR, and brand consultant, still clearly recalls. “The two-year lockdown period when we had no choice but to be chronically online was a pivotal moment for these brands,” she says. “The economic downturn forced people to turn to different sources of income, including dabbling in entrepreneurship.”

Allied Market Research reported in March 2024 that the Philippines’ beauty and personal care market is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% until 2026, estimated to be worth US$4.7 billion—with the online stores segment expected to continue ramping up its growth rate.

Shifting values, adapting to trends

Truly, in a time when consumers are more connected than ever, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have become the gateways for aspiring local beauty brands to rise above the noise. “Imagine having that level of almost undivided attention and constant supply of eyeballs every single day for two years,” Martha mused. “There’s no doubt that the first movers enjoyed the boom and became very successful or have monetized it, at the very least.”

Between May to September 2024, for instance, TikTok Philippines reported that Happy Skin’s combined focus on exclusive promotions during multi-hour livestreams and dynamic ads on the platform led to an uptick in the brand’s gross merchandise value (GMV) of up to 16,240%.

Martha also emphasizes the role of Gen Zs as the main drivers of today’s F-Beauty landscape. “Their outspoken personalities sparked conversations that challenged how other generations think, as well as their ideas and their perspectives,” she said. “The unfiltered, democratized flow of information and ideas on social media paved the way for indie Filipino beauty brands.”

She credits this “perfect storm” of shifting values and adapting to trends ultimately shaping the current state of F-Beauty as we know it.

On the flip side, newer brands with a global mindset and a personal approach easily found their niche in the market. Romina Nañagas, a PR practitioner and founder of Habitude, describes their plant-based skincare line as “the conscious product we always dreamed of as conscious consumers.”

“We were inspired by the desire for a better choice that was more reflective of our values,” she said. “Values of feeling welcome at the table because, let’s admit it, sometimes [the] industry can feel so intimidating and exclusive.”

Meanwhile, Alex Javier of DALA Global (formerly Kind Beauty), simply believed that high-performing products should be accessible to the Philippine market. Her decade-long experience as a reseller of Western and Korean beauty products has given her a deep understanding of the trends and innovations in the industry.

“[We want to prove] that the Filipino beauty industry can forge ahead alongside international brands and represent the practicality, creativity, and global power Filipinos are known for,” she said.

Rising above the challenges

While this upward trend for indie F-Beauty brands is exciting, the journey isn’t without its hurdles.

Alex shared, “The stage is highly competitive in this attention economy, and developing a strong and recognizable brand is admittedly a challenge. This only meant we needed to build trust within our community, but this is not something established overnight.” 

This aligns with Martha’s view that one of the biggest obstacles smaller beauty brands must overcome is oversaturation. “It’s not that easy to push a product to consumers nowadays. Coupled with the rising cost of goods, the path between marketing and making a sale just became longer,” she said.

Liz added, “The beauty industry can’t grow if the Filipino household income doesn’t grow. Why would a person buy makeup if they can’t even afford proper groceries?” 

She also cited the lack of a strong manufacturing industry in the Philippines as another barrier to success. She said that about 75% to 80% of F-Beauty is imported from China, Taiwan, and South Korea. “Sadly, we don’t have a choice.”

Romina echoes this, saying, “Our industry isn’t developed enough. Though it’s tempting to just have our products produced outside the country, we’re doing our best to keep production here.”

Looking to a beautiful future

Despite these challenges, insiders Liz and Martha agree that there’s still a lot to look forward to in our growing local beauty industry.

“Our beauty entrepreneurs are smart—they’re determined to find ways to make it work. I’ve seen them do it!” Liz said. “On the consumer side, I think that we’re spoiled for options, and we’re lucky for that. We just need to keep the pace.”

“I think it’s going to get bigger, [but] it’s up to Filipino brands and consumers to ensure that the fire will keep on burning,” Martha added.

For owners Romina and Alex, the dream is to continue thinking global but developing and producing locally. 

“We built Habitude to hopefully be a better choice globally,” Romina shared. “Big dreams, we know, but we really wanted the world’s best ingredients and formulations made more accessible not just to Filipinos, but to other nationalities. If [the Philippines was] able to make room for products from other countries, we hope they have room for ours.”

“In our diverse market, the need to be an adaptable and reliable brand is the idea DALA was built on,” Alex said. “We’re proud that DALA speaks to Filipino beauty needs without the crazy markup. It’s something we feel responsible [for] and [we want to] focus on creating quality products that are Filipino-inspired and globally crafted.”

For lovers of F-Beauty, the growth of local brands means more products that reflect the unique identities, values, and stories of Filipinos. For the Philippine beauty industry, the rise of more indie brands signals a new chapter that celebrates the innovation of local talent. In a beauty landscape that once felt dominated by outsiders, indie Filipino beauty brands are not just stealing the spotlight, they’re taking up their rightful place at center stage.