Sixteen years ago in Angeles City, Pampanga, Rhea Anicoche-Tan started a small business with just P5,000 in savings. At the time, she wasn’t thinking of building a beauty empire — she simply wanted to create products that worked for everyday Filipinos.
The brains, beauty and heart behind the Filipino beauty brand: Rhea Anicoche-Tan. PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM/MISSRHEATAN
“I was 30 years old back then, and never did I imagine my dream would become a reality,” Anicoche-Tan said in a 2019 interview with The Manila Times.
Her story began with a frustration familiar to many Filipinos: stubborn pimples. To address it, she worked with a chemist friend to create a simple three-step set consisting of a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer.
The brains, beauty and heart behind the Filipino beauty brand: Rhea Anicoche-Tan. PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM/MISSRHEATAN
The formula worked — not just for her, but soon for friends and acquaintances who began asking for their own. From a small home operation in Angeles, Pampanga, word of mouth carried her products further, eventually leading her to take the leap and establish Beautéderm in 2009.
That decision changed not only her life but also the lives of thousands who would become part of the Beautéderm network. As she recalled during the company’s 10th anniversary celebration, what fueled her was never luxury or prestige but “love, determination, hard work, and faith.”
Her vision was simple yet powerful: skincare that worked, and a business model that empowered resellers, many of whom were women and overseas Filipino workers, to improve their livelihoods.
From the very beginning, Anicoche-Tan insisted on safety and integrity — securing FDA approval for her products early on, even before Beautéderm had fully taken off. She also required resellers to personally use the products for two months before selling them, believing that true marketing begins with trust and experience.
The brand’s growth was boosted by friends from show business — actresses like Sylvia Sanchez, Alma Concepcion, and Shyr Valdez — who supported Beautéderm not just as endorsers but as resellers themselves. This blurred the line between celebrity glitz and grassroots entrepreneurship, creating a rare synergy that helped Beautéderm build credibility while staying grounded.
Now at 16 years, that philosophy still shines through. The brand has grown into a multi-awarded Filipino company with a roster of ambassadors — Maja Salvador, Dennis Trillo, Jennylyn Mercado, and Piolo Pascual, to name a few — and a presence in markets abroad. Yet its heart remains in Pampanga, where it started with a few soaps and a big dream.
Anicoche-Tan often describes Beautéderm as her “family” and her resellers as her “babies.” That sense of community — nurturing, guiding, and uplifting — may be the real secret behind the brand’s staying power.
Because beyond the jars, bottles, and beauty sets, Beautéderm is ultimately about transformation: of skin, of confidence, and of the Filipino entrepreneurial spirit. CA
