Sapphire Beauty & Wellness (SB&W), dedicated to delivering top-notch beauty and wellness products to the Philippine market, officially launched two South Korean skincare brands, Désembre and Dermagarden, on 13 May at the Hilton Grand Ballroom in Newport City.

Désembre and Dermagarden are brands manufactured by Hyunjin C&T, a leading manufacturer with more than 25 years of expertise in South Korea's fiercely competitive skincare and cosmetics sector. In contrast to other brands dependent on OEM manufacturers, Hyunjin C&T takes pride in developing and manufacturing its own products.

SB&W was founded by the husband-and-wife team of Ricky and Mary Ann Palad. According to Ricky Palad, SB&W's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, they had been considering entering the beauty and wellness industry as early as 10 years ago.

“We finally found Hyunjin C&T manufacturing in South Korea that carries the same value and commitment of SB&W Co. We are both committed to put a smile on every one who uses our products,” Palad said.

During the launch, hosted by media personality and celebrity influencer Regine Tolentino, SB&W and Hyunjin C&T introduced Désembre, a range of treatment products designed for use in skincare salons and clinics, along with Dermagarden, a line of personal skincare products.

Ricky and Mary Ann are entrepreneurs who have long established themselves in the information technology industry. However, their interest in the beauty and wellness sector is more personal.

“After the pandemic, we noticed that more and more people put emphasis on taking care of their body and wellness. People who were not keen on using skincare products or have been ignoring their skin problems suddenly started looking for help or for a confidant who will help them in their newfound self-love, post-pandemic. At SB&W, we personally want to be that friend and confidant. We believe that the journey to self-love begins from within, and we want to guide them in this journey,” he explained.

“It took us some time to find and launch skincare products and services as we were searching for the right product to distribute to the market. We wanted to test the products ourselves first,” he added.

“SB&W aims to be a premier Filipino lifestyle brand by distributing world-class products that are safe, functional, fashionable, trendy and cost-effective,” according to SB&W COO, Mary Ann Palad.

“The biggest advantage of Hyunjin C&T is that we develop new raw materials and technologies faster than other companies. For example, we were the first in Korea to introduce hemp seed oil products, which are currently the hottest raw materials in the world of skincare. We were also the first in Korea to introduce products containing Snail and Mayu (horse oil),” said Jung Sung-han, Hyunjin C&T Chairman.