Businessman Dioceldo Sy started a cosmetics company in 1983 with a capital of only P150,000. His five-man team sold Taiwan-made nail polish to the local wholesale market.
Surviving all kinds of business challenges in the past 35 years, Ever Bilena is now a cosmetics empire, lording over an industry once dominated by global brands.
“We were able to overtake multinational brands like Maybelline and Revlon,” Sy, a recipient of the prestigious Regus Entrepreneur of the Year awardee for achieving “significant business growth and expansion through business formation,” beamed.
Ever Bilena offers a wide array of affordable cosmetics products ranging from eye shadows, mascaras, BB creams and concealers, to fragrances, lipsticks, makeup palettes and makeup tools.
“Our products are of global quality—but priced reasonably. We sell our products for as low as P250, no more than 50 percent of the mandated daily wage,” Sy said.
Now with over 1,500 employees nationwide, Ever Bilena has evolved with the times, keeping abreast with global trends, while nurturing the family spirit within the organization.
“The company is professionally run, but family-oriented. I always maintain the family spirit within the organization. Some employees have been with me since I started in the 1980s,” Sy said.
With global influences and international brand competitors, Sy emphasized the valuable insights from the younger generation.
In 2014, his daughter Denice joined Ever Bilena. A business management graduate from the University of California in Berkeley in the United States, Denice started at an entry-level job and slowly worked her way up the corporate ladder, getting involved in all aspects of the business.
“Ever Bilena is facing a new generation of personal-care product users and shoppers. Having my daughter Denice as head of sales is a big advantage for the brand because she is aware of the newest global trends,” Sy said.
The brand has enhanced its line with innovative products like the lip and cheek tint roller (lip and cheek color rolled into one), the two-way cake (face powder and foundation that can be applied either wet or dry) and other unique formulations. Consumers get quality local products without paying the price of foreign brands.
“We have a strong lineup of products endorsed by popular celebrities. Just recently we collaborated with Ms. Kris Aquino, the country’s top influencer,” Sy said.
To address the changing needs of its consumers, Ever Bilena maintains a very strong online presence. “Trends change quickly because of social media. With our strong presence on social media, it is easy for us to understand our market. I believe that is our advantage, that’s why we are ahead of our competitors,” Sy said.
With Asia Pacific’s cosmetics industry expected to reach $126.8 billion by 2020, Sy now is eyeing the Southeast Asian markets.
“Indonesia is a huge market of about 250 million people—twice the size of the Philippine population—their skin type is similar to Filipinos,” Sy said. “I think we have a good chance. We’re looking at the country’s traditional cosmetics market, which caters to around 40 percent of the total population.”