WHENEVER I am out of the country, drugstore shopping is one of my favorite things to do. My non-Filipino friends are amused at how much stuff I can accumulate in a 15-minute trip to a drugstore. I tell them it’s a Filipino thing. I know someone who can spend $200 in a drugstore in 30 minutes or even less. Aside from the different variants Panadol, Advil and Tylenol and those mentholated strips you stick to your body when you are in pain, there are so many things to discover.
In the Philippines, I’m always grateful when work takes me to SM Mall of Asia (MOA), where the Watsons flagship store is, because there are so many things to buy—from Korean makeup and skin care to French brands. I also get my favorite VMV Hypoallergenics toner (Re-Everything Treatment Toner) there. Other great brands to explore are Avene, Bioderma, Essence, BYS, Elf and Covergirl. Watsons’s other branches have most of these brands but being in the flagship store makes a difference.
Of course, a decent drugstore should have its house brand and Watsons is no different. Watsons’ wet wipes and hand washes are already big consumer favorites.
Actress Lorna Tolentino says Watsons is her “reliable partner for her beauty needs,” and swears by Watsons Generics’s multivitamins and supplements like Collagen + Vitamin C + Zinc and Glutathione and Milk Thistle + Alpha Lipoic Acid.
“Health is wealth. Every person must take care of his or her health, from hygiene to proper exercise and balanced diet,” says Tolentino, who coendorses Watsons Generics with Edu Manzano.
Tolentino and Manzano admit that they have become more health-conscious. They have both stopped smoking. Manzano also doesn’t drink anymore.
“I’m not getting younger, so I’ve become more careful with what I do, with what I eat,” says Manzano, who is 59.
Karen Fabres, Watsons senior marketing manager, says the company’s TVC starring Tolentino and Manzano have boosted sales and raised awareness for the company’s campaign to promote its generics line.
The two stars recently visited Watsons’s SM MOA store as part of the brand’s health literacy campaign. They assisted shoppers in the pharmacy section while wearing the Watsons uniform.
The Watsons Generics line includes maintenance medicines for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol; antibiotics to fight off common bacteria; dietary supplements for skin enhancement, antiaging and overall wellness; basic vitamins, oral analgesics and other over-the-counter medicines.”
Tolentino says being healthy need not be expensive.
“For me, Watsons has best value for money. Imagine, you could save up to 80 percent as compared to leading brands. Another thing that makes them different is that their pharmacists are very knowledgeable. They can answer your questions and offer alternatives. That way, you know what your options are.”
• E-mail the author at luckydinna@gmail.com.
Image credits: Dinna Chan Vasquez