The Great, the Not-Bad, and the Ugly at the 5th PhilBeauty

Categories : Beauty Insider

Although not as obvious in this scorching heat, but summer is about to end on this side of the world. Which means PhilBeauty season is here once again.

Now in its fifth round, this year’s three-day trade show brought in thousands of brands, traders, suppliers, and visitors from here and around the world at the SMX Convention Center to showcase what they had to offer the beauty and wellness industry today. Led by the likes of Singapore, Korea, China, and of course, the Philippines, international exhibitors brought in the newest innovations and hottest products from their country, looking to outshine the others through the attention-grabbing display of each country’s pavilion (imagine: Global Village in Dubai). And while many parts of the expo were good and some were even great, there were others that were downright inept, we just had to look away.

Here are the highlights:

THE GREAT

Korea section

When it comes to investing in the razzle-dazzle—it’s a beauty show, after all—Korea was hands-down the runaway victor. They may have focused more on the B2C (business-to-consumer) side of the trade, but you couldn’t deny the wonders of going over-the-top with their pavilion’s design—towering well-lit white structures that said “Korea” in all caps, just in case you missed their flag by any chance.

Makeup Box

A consistently well-attended side show, the Makeup Box was on point when it came to piquing the interest of wannabe makeup artists and even casual attendees. What, with segment titles such as “Bronzed Goddess,” “Seasonless Sparkle Makeup,” and “Kim K./Kylie Jenner Iconic Makeup”, it would be hard not to stop by for a few demonstrations and take home a few new makeup tricks in the process. Quite frankly, they had me at “Day to Night Effect” look.

THE NOT-BAD

Business Matchmaking Program

Always a supporter of businesses helping each other out, all the more inspiring to see when international players are involved as it would allow better opportunities to improve and push the beauty industry forward. This has been the main goal of PhilBeauty, first and foremost. My only concern is that PhilBeauty has become more of a marketplace for consumers and less for business owners this 2019. There has to be a way to keep the balance in check.

Filipino Beauty Fantasy Competition

Not to be denied, the Filipino artistry was in full display at the Filipino Beauty Fantasy Competition, honoring the most skilled local hairdressers and makeup artists in the country. If I may, though, fantasy isn’t the only genre worth putting up a contest for. There’s high fashion, futuristic, architecture, and perhaps even classical period.

Natural Shampoo and Conditioner Making

Hey, if there’s a way to marry practical knowledge and sound business idea together, this was it. Hosted by the Chamber of Cosmetics Industry of the Philippines (CCIP), the biggest non-profit organization in the Philippines for cosmetics manufacturers, traders, and suppliers, the crash course had the element of going all-natural, which is a blossoming niche in the local market. My only beef was that the crash course left us with more questions on the matter, but I guess that’s where CCIP should come in next.

THE UGLY

WHERE THE F WAS ‘THE PHILIPPINES’?!

I don’t get it—why didn’t the Philippines have their own labeled section at the PhilBeauty halls of SMX? You could tell where Taiwan was, and Malaysia, Thailand, even New Zealand. Was it modesty as the event host? Was it plain oversight from the people in charge? Perhaps disunity among participating exhibitors? Or maybe we just didn’t have the budget to put up any sign that suggested our heavy participation? I know for a fact that there were a number of local booths and businesses, but what gives on the absence of a display that proudly said “The Philippines”? It may not be a big deal to those closely involved, but knowing where the kababayans were exactly may have given them the extra boost in their sales and exposure online during those three days.

At least there’s always next year.

All photos are from the official Philbeauty Show Facebook page.