COMPETITION IS TOUGH among local and international cosmetics and skin care products in the Philippines. The folks behind Celeteque acknowledge this. To set itself apart from the bevy of beauty products, Celeteque, a Filipino brand under Unilab, emphasizes that it is “clinically tested and co-created by Filipino dermatologists with Filipino skin in mind.”
“Whatever we claim, we can back it up,” Celeteque skin category director Catherine Reyes told BusinessWorld on June 2 in celebration of its 10th anniversary in the market.
Its promises: 90% moisture balanced-skin in two weeks of use, visibly lighter skin after seven days, 80% fewer pimples in as little as one week, and 92% fine line reduction in six weeks. The brand brags about its power to turn one’s skin from dull to full of life because it is based on scientific studies done in the pursuit of beauty.
Celeteque started in 2006 with an anti-aging moisturizer which was exclusively available through Filipino dermatologists. When the doctors saw the product’s efficacy, they pushed for its commercial release. The rest is history. Now Celeteque has five product lines: sun care, anti-aging, hydration, brightening, and anti-acne, each of which has a cleanser, a toner, and a moisturizer.
“We are not as big as Ponds… We do not deny that the competition is hard,” said Ms. Reyes. But they’ve secured a following in the last decade. She said their customers are the “yuppies and classes B and C.”
To keep its relevance, it has gone into cosmetics. Last year, it launched its basic, everyday makeup line, done in consultation with Filipino celebrity makeup artist Krist Bansuelo. The color palette is simple and basic, like matte pink lipstick and cherry blush.
Ms. Reyes claims that the newest makeup line blurs the categories “makeup” and “skincare,” and marring the two.
“The makeup takes care of your skin,” she said. — Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
