our local makeup brands have limited innovation. no one stands out.

what do they all have in common? lip liners? lip tints? cream blush? gel liners? i feel like a lot of the brands are so afraid of exploring other products. puro na lang skin tint or whatnot. don’t get me wrong, I LOVE MY LOCAL MAKEUP FINDS (i’m talking to u, absidy, vice, lucky, issy!!! 🩷) but y’all lack innovation! you guys basically all sell the same thing in different packaging :// at least that’s how it feels like.

we need HUMIDITY-RESISTANT base products. something that us filipinas would actually like in this tropical setting. speaking of setting and humidity, a really good setting spray or a grip primer???? or for the creative girlies, a massive colorful palette like the ones from morphe or painted by james charles. tho it’s convenient, im tired of seeing the same pocket sized eyeshadows in the same shade range.

it feels as if our local makeup brands are just trying to compete with each other by copying one another. no one tries to tap into specialized niches. as someone who loves makeup a lot and started doing cut creases as an 11 y/o, pls pls pls stop copying each other.

there are also people who prefer bold, unconventional, or niche makeup styles. many of them are left with limited options locally and probably have to resort to cheap, unreliable, and unregulated products from an online shop

the market saturation makes it feel like there are no truly groundbreaking or distinctive products being introduced per brand and it’s kinda sad 😔

i’m saying this again, I LOVE MY LOCAL MAKEUP BRANDS. di ako basher. it’s just my observation as a consumer. :^

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EDIT: here are my takes from the replies bc a lot of people seem to misinterpret what i said/rubbed them the wrong way (lol parang may keyboard warrior yung brands dito). it’s understandable that companies want to play it safe and cater to their largest customer base, especially since it’s easier to sell products that have a proven track record. but what ends up happening is that everything starts feeling a bit too familiar, which stifles growth in terms of creativity and product diversity.

for the affordability, i think it boils down if the company actually wants to cut-costs or milk their consumers’ money. it is a business too, after all.

if every brand keeps launching the same basic products, it creates a market where consumers get bored, and that stunts both brand growth and the overall makeup community in the country.

• there's definitely room to cater to the experimental or niche crowd. also, di naman ‘to required, it was just a suggestion and it could literally be anything. they’re smaller in number but they could help push the growing industry = mainstream consumers will eventually want to try

we have to remember a lot of these local PH makeup brands aren't small businesses anymore—they've got the resources to invest in r&d if they really wanted to, but they just don't seem to prioritize it. i get that it’s still a relatively new market, and i never said they should be groundbreaking agad, but the fact is, they have the potential to push things forward and they're not.

instead, we're stuck with the same few products recycled across multiple brands. it was never about rushing innovation, it's about refining what’s already there and introducing new ideas at a steady pace. at the end of the day, a little more risk could lead to products that stand out and actually grow the industry. i’m only saying this bc i have a lot of trust in our own products and i want to believe they’re able to one day be on par with the bigger brands internationally.

innovation doesn’t always have to mean a huge price hike. if a local brand could somehow offer a unique, affordable version of something that truly works for the local climate, it could still carve out a niche. think about how fil consumers are willing to splurge on local brands if they feel like the quality, ingredients, or performance are worth it.