Beauty from the Grecian Isles

A GREEK skincare brand which arrived in the Philippines during the pandemic distills the power of nature and gives back to it —  with the help of actress Nadine Lustre.

During an event in Makati on June 22, Bioten, a brand owned by Greek-headquartered Gr Sarantis SA (otherwise known as the Sarantis Group), showed off its lines, Bioten Skin Glow and Bioten Vitamin C.

Bioten Skin Glow consists of mousse cleanser (P299), a toner (P299), a serum (P799), a day cream (P699), and a night cream (P699). Skin Glow is made with 10 ingredients believed to brighten skin: niacinamide, Centella asiatica, Camelia japonica, matsutake mushroom, mulberry, paper mulberry, green tea, apple fruit, Rhus semialata extracts, and glucosamine. These are enhanced with Vitamin B3, well-known for strengthening the skin barrier and improving skin tone, as well as Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that helps decrease hyperpigmentation. It also has hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E, Pro-vitamin B5, and glycerin.

Bioten’s Vitamin C line’s star is in its name. This line consists of a day cream (P699) and a night cream (P699), both with 100% natural orange and lime extracts. Five percent of the anti-aging ampoules from the same line (P799) are composed of Vitamin C and a brightening amino acid. Each product has 90% ingredients of natural origin.

Vitamin C doesn’t always get its accolades in the skincare world. Loved by many for its brightening properties, it comes with the price of staying out of the sun because of the risk of skin photosensitivity. In an interview with BusinessWorld, Kelly Erripi, Head of Skincare Category – Group Marketing Division of Gr Sarantis SA said that we can stay in the sun despite being slathered with Vitamin C — depending on the type.

“This is the trick. Most Vitamin Cs are very economic. When you have this economic active ingredient, it causes oxidation in the formula. This oxidation is creating all this photosensitivity on your skin.” Ms. Erripi describes the Vitamin C that they use in their products as “stable” and of high quality. “This means it is encapsulated and does not oxidize in the formula. It gives you the chance to use it in the daylight, during summer. No patches, no dark spots created from the Vitamin C.”

On another note, the company is proud to have a minimum of 88% of naturally-derived products in each bottle (the bottles themselves are made from about 30% recycled glass, and are recyclable). “We as a brand have sustainable ingredients. We have very high naturality in our formulas. You will find more than 88% in every product,” said Ms. Erripi. “We don’t have so many chemicals in (it). [Although] we need to have some chemicals to make the formula stable.”

Since customers are becoming more discerning in their skincare choices, some question whether “natural” products always mean that they’re better.

She says, “Listen: naturals have been accused of being either not very well-performing or being a bit aggressive to your skin. What we are doing, we’re trying to balance things… they are taking the actual power of the active (ingredient). This is joining nature with technology.”

Eighty-eight, a number mentioned above, is important to the company — so much so that they have launched an environmental campaign in the Philippines centered on it.

With their Philippine distributor iFace, Inc., it has launched The Green and Honest by the Numbers campaign, which aims to raise funds to plant 88,000 trees to aid the 20-year reforestation project for the Aetas of Yangil, Zambales through For The Future and Make a Difference (MAD) Travel. The project aims to cultivate 3,000 hectares of Aeta ancestral domain.

Bioten’s brand ambassador in the Philippines, actress Nadine Lustre, made an incognito visit to the community in Yangil last April. “It doesn’t feel so genuine if I push for an advocacy that I’m not immersed in,” said the Gawad Urian Best Actress awardee (for starring in the film Never Not Love You). “To know that there are people who are willing to help without anything in return — nakakataba ng puso (it makes my heart swell).”

“I could just feel all the love in the area, and everyone loving each other,” she said.

In every country that Bioten enters, they create either social or environmental projects as part of their CSR efforts. As mentioned above, they also use sustainable materials and ingredients. Ms. Erripi talked about its significance within the company. “It’s important for us as a development team because what we wanted to do is something that we would also use and will also (pass on) to our children.”

“This is the good stuff.”

Bioten Skin Glow and Bioten Vitamin C are available at Watsons, The SM Store, and online on Amorfia and Lazada.

Each seedling for the The Green and Honest by the Numbers Campaign costs P50. To donate to the cause through Nadine Lustre visit https://donation.ph/FTF-88k. To learn more about the project, visit https://www.forthefutureph.com/88k-trees.    JL Garcia