Who knew that one can make a real difference with something as personal as skincare?

Maintaining clear and healthy skin is possible while also making green choices and supporting sustainability practices. Sustainability in skincare is the certain road to “Green Beauty.”

Upcycled Wheat Bottles from DermtropicsLocal skincare brand Dermtropics, founded by the husband-and-wife team of Niko and Margaux Lucena, is committed to advocating “Green Beauty.”

“Green Beauty for us means maintaining a balance between people, planet, and profit. When Nico and I developed Dermtropics, we didn't just want to create truly effective products for most of our Filipino consumers. We also wanted to do it in our very own way and in how we can help uplift the livelihood of our local communities. At the same time, we wanted to also make sure that we support our natural resources and ingredients and do our best to maintain our commitment to sustainability,” Margaux explains.

Right from its inception, Dermtropics has always been designed to be a brand that would be a locally-produced, high-quality product that uses natural ingredients, is dermatologist-tested, effective, and created with sustainability in mind. In their brand story, the mission of Dermtropics is to provide real and transformative results for the skin while doing their part to reduce the waste impact on the planet.Dermtropics particpates in Adopt-A-Tree in 2021

“From the conception of the brand, it was intentional to be eco-friendly and sustainable. When we were doing our own research, brands, and most especially international brands, are not only about natural or organic products but they're also about sustainability,” Margaux begins.

“We really wanted to also bridge that gap by meeting the best of both worlds when it comes to science-backed formulations and also with sustainability. We want to prove that sustainability can really go hand in hand with effectiveness, and beauty and that it's possible. That was like a challenge and motivation for us especially [since we have] limited resources available in our country,” she adds, deeply passionate about the brand and her cause.

Aerial view of the Coconut Farm where Dermtropics sources its coconuts

The Beauty in the Details

The impressive end-to-end sustainability solutions and journey of the brand begin with the ingredients used for the product. It was carefully formulated and free from harsh chemicals that harm the skin and the environment.

“Our hero ingredient is Philippine coconuts, particularly virgin coconut oil and milk. What made us confident to actually use this ingredient is that I was very fortunate to grow up with a mom who's a dermatologist. She has been in the industry for more than 30 years already and she has always believed in the benefits of virgin coconut oil."

Coconuts from the Dermtropics coconut source in General Santos and South Cotabato in Mindanao

"She would recommend this to her patients and for us to use because there are actually a lot of clinical studies already showing that coconut oil can actually help with skin eczema, skin allergies, atopic dermatitis and is even [used] in anti-aging because of the abundance of antioxidants and fatty acids. [It also has] anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients,” Margaux explains.

The skincare expert expressed how fortunate they are because their hero ingredient is one of the best in the world and can be found right in the Philippine backyard making it easily accessible.

The Lucena couple’s interest in coconuts grew and this led to the decision to source coconuts from smallholder farmers in General Santos and South Cotabato in Mindanao since the region has rich soil and good climactic conditions.

Dermtropics also practice wet milling, a process of extracting virgin coconut oil at its purest where they are also able to preserve the natural anti-oxidants and aroma of the oil making it free from harmful chemicals which is beneficial for the skin.

“We're very grateful that we were able to meet other farmers who are also aligned with us when it comes to extracting the best kind of virgin coconut oil. And because you don't use heat or chemicals, you're actually also able to retain as much or all the natural antioxidants,” Margaux explains.

Dermtropics kraft packaging

Inspired by the help of customer feedback which motivated Nico and Margaux to do more research on sustainable packaging, they eventually transitioned from using plastic to biodegradable packaging by utilizing bottles made out of 40% wheat straw material and polymer resins. Dermtropics is now also available in refill pouches in bigger sizes.

To offset the environmental impact of using plastics initially, the company also conducted tree planting which enabled them to plant 150 trees in less than a year.

“After that, the sustaining funds were used to sustain the Forest Rangers who take care of the trees and to a geo-reserve in Bulacan,” she thoughtfully adds.

At the final stage of customer consumption, Dermtropics encourages customers to recycle by accepting the return of empty bottles of their products. The recycling program may be a work in progress but customers may look forward to an improved version of it shortly.Dermtropics Nourishing Lip Shield with paper packaging

Recently, the brand launched Dermtropics Nourishing Lip Shield with SPF 70 using paper packaging which proved to be challenging at first because the oil seeping out was visible on the paper.

“We were able again to find a way. It was approved by our R&D (research and development) that it has passed all the functionality and stability testing. So when it passed the test, we immediately worked on releasing our lip balms with paper packaging,” she smiles.

“Green Beauty” achieved

The response to the sustainability efforts of Dermtropics has been greatly positive and encouraging. The efforts have significantly impacted both the environment and the community. For one, the brand transitioning to biodegradable bottles (500ml and 50ml) has saved approximately 9.6 metric tons of plastic waste since 2023. In addition, the launch of 1,000ml refill pouch has further reduced plastic waste by .4 metric tons. Dermtropics plans to scale up production to save up to 15.6 metric tons of plastic in the coming years.

Likewise, the estimated 10 metric tons of plastic saved since 2023 enabled the brand to reduce 25,000–35,000 kilograms of carbon emissions, equivalent to taking five to seven cars off the road for a year or powering four to five households annually.

Dermtropics sustainable packaging 

The use of paper packaging for the Dermtropics Nourishing Lip Shield saves approximately 20–25 kilograms of plastic per 5,000 units or 0.02-025 metric tons compared to traditional plastic tubes. The numbers continue to be motivating as utilizing honeycomb paper for over 9,000 deliveries since 2021 has saved a total of 0.9 metric tons of plastic waste and reduced the carbon footprint by 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Asked how they apply sustainability outside of their work on Dermtropics and on their everyday life, Margaux shares the simplicity with her husband Nico.

“We really embrace the minimalist approach so when it really comes to our skincare, personal care, and even our wardrobe or fashion, we're all about using the basics and sticking to the essentials. We stick to products that have multiple benefits or that really work for us. We're just very simple, to be honest,” she remarks, noting her similarities with her husband which she’s always grateful for.

With the efforts of Dermtropics deemed effective for both sales and sustainability, Margaux continues to credit how she and her husband are on the same page.

“We really want to create products that we feel that we and the Filipinos will be proud of. We’d like to create products that will really create a huge impact on everyone involved—from our communities to our planet and even to our consumers. We want our consumers to actually feel good about their purchase,” she declares, feeling the positive impact of their work.

“When they get Dermotropics, they know that it won't only help their skin conditions, but at the same time, they know that they're helping support local farmers. They're actually supporting natural local ingredients and, at the same time, doing their own small ways when it comes to protecting the planet by choosing sustainable packaging. That really inspires Mico and us,” she concludes with a renewed passion to move forward with their new sustainability projects.

Read more sustainability stories on Metro.Style as part of their New Year, New Hope, New You campaign, and watch out for the Sustainability Heroes Series.