Skincare startup hits on a fresh idea

To ensure the potency of a skincare product, we freshly-make it

Ingredients used in their products are biocompatible, meaning it doesn’t cause any toxic immuno-response.

When it comes to skincare, one can never be too careful.

What you put on your skin may not have immediate effects, but one day these will show up — the benefits or the damage.

With skincare products being made left and right. the public should be aware of what they are paying good money for.

Bell and Pedre Skincare Corporation, a Filipino startup skincare company owned by the enterprising duo, Marlon Pedregosa and Dr. Robert Bell, Ph.D., offers a credible solution.

Pedregosa is a businessman with a long experience in marketing and sales, while Dr. Bell is a doctor of Chemistry educated in the United Kingdom.

Their seven-month-old company produces skincare products that contain biocompatible ingredients that are deemed safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration. Unlike other companies, they explain, theirs are “freshly made” and thus more potent.

During their live interview on TribuneNOW’s Spotlight last 15 August, head chemist and managing director Dr. Bell and the company president Pedregosa shared some insights regarding skincare and the company itself.

According to Dr. Bell, skincare products sold in stores have a high probability of being stored for a very long time. Therefore, the active ingredients in those products may start to chemically change so the effectiveness of those products become questionable.

“To ensure the potency of a skincare product, we freshly-make it. What we do, as a startup company, is we get the customer’s order, formulate it over the weekend then dispatch the product. We never formulate in advance and this ensures that the product is really fresh. Customers get their custom products within three to four days,” Dr. Bell proudly shares.

He also stated that the ingredients used in their products are biocompatible, meaning when the skincare is applied, it doesn’t cause any toxic immuno-response in the body. When the product is put on the skin, the skin will recognize the ingredients as something it also has, utilize and process it.

The products, being made in the Philippines, make them perfect for users who reside in this hot and humid country.

MARLON Pedregosa (left) and Dr. Robert Bell of Bell and Pedre Skincare Corporation, a Filipino startup skincare company.

Based on Dr. Bell’s knowledge, the skin has a vitamin C and vitamin E reservoir. When exposed to stress, pollution and the sun, the vitamin C starts depleting.

“For example, when the sun hits your skin, it creates a radical and that radical has high energy and that will attack your collagen. When it attacks your collagen with time, that would start creating fine lines and wrinkles,” Dr. Bell explained.

“When vitamin C is topically applied on the skin, it tops up the vitamin C that is already present in the skin. When the radical is formed from the sun, the concentration of vitamin C in the skin is always on top. It will stabilize that radical before it causes damage,” he added.

“Meanwhile, like vitamin C, the skin also has Coenzymes (NAD) and the vitamin B3 is a precursor of the enzymes. When you grow older, this NAD decreases in time so you just need to keep topping up your vitamin B3,” the scientist explained.

If you are a skincare fanatic, the products that should always be present in your kit are vitamin C and niacinamide B3. Fortunately, Bell and Pedre freshly produces both.

Their Vitamin C contains nine active ingredients and the Nia B3 or Niacinamide B3 has 12 extra ingredients.

“Research and development took a year. It’s quite long to develop a product because you have to do all the research, the aging, testing, packaging and such. When we did our research and development for our skincare, we really read scientific journals. We also don’t just believe in one or two or three active ingredients; we believe in numerous because there’s no silver bullet for anti-aging so you have to have all these combinations of active ingredients to be effective. But you also have to know whether one ingredient is compatible with another one,” the chemist said.

Contrary to what skincare fanatics and beauty enthusiasts believe, some products shouldn’t be used simultaneously. Users have to be aware of the ingredients and benefits of each product so that the products can do what they are meant to do. This also calls on professionals to educate their clients on how each product is different.

“Normally, we suggest to use the vitamin C in the morning and then the niacinamide at night. The vitamin C acts as a booster for the SPF while the niacinamide is a pore-refiner and anti-aging,” Pedregosa explained.

“The only thing that I would say is to never combine the products together because it will counteract each other. Either use one in the morning and the other in the evening,” Dr. Bell added.

Bell and Pedre sells its products by limited batches. Soon, their website will be up and running which will give access to more people. Currently, they are also developing more products like an exfoliating toner, night cream and eye cream so beauty gurus should be on the lookout.

You can contact Bell and Pedre Skincare Corporation at 8208102 or (0995) 9661818 and order from Monday to Friday only.