Here is how the CEO of Dear Face Beauty, Jonah Sison-Ramos, clinched the global market and discovered her life mission along the way
What do you want to be when you grow up? The incredible success story of Jonah Sison-Ramos could probably be her life’s greatest irony as she stepped out ever so carefully from a bevy of missed opportunities that might have landed her on a dream job a decade ago. What she did not know back then though that things were just beginning to warm up, and fate had its peculiar way of ushering in fame and fortune she didn’t see coming.
“I never planned to run my own business. All I ever wanted was to become a flight stewardess. Okay ako for the position, eh. I could communicate well, but I was rejected many times because of my acne. I had terrible breakouts,” begins Jonah, CEO of the famous Cavite-based beauty retail SkinPotions. “I was really at the crossroad of my life. I did not start with a clean slate, sobrang gulo, that I didn’t know what to do with my life anymore. But it was a blessing pala in disguise that I had pimples.”
RELATED: Behind the Scenes: How Bela Padilla Conquers the Entertainment Industry on Her Own Terms
As a result of many uncertainties, she hopped from one job to another. After studying nursing at San Juan de Dios Educational Foundation in Pasay and passed the licensure examination, she worked as a nurse at a hospital in Taytay, Rizal for half a year. She then applied as a medical representative in Makati City, which she left eventually after only a few months.
In 2012, she became a seafarer and worked as a casino dealer for one year. While thinking of a new career path, she attended a workshop on soap making. She first made a bar of oatmeal in an attempt to address her skin problem. “When I washed my face using it, my pimples slowly disappeared. People suddenly noticed that my pimples disappeared; they started asking. I was not serious at first, but I received orders and the distribution increased,” she shares, retelling the birth of SkinPotions in 2013.
The company began to expand at the malls. It sold other skincare products, such as the ultimate skincare items aimed at solving uneven skin tone, dry skin, acne prone skin, and dark spots. Called the Bestseller Potions Bundle, the flagship collection includes the Tomato Serum, the Snowberry Cream Pump among others.
In 2020, Jonah launched the brand Dear Face which distributes the health and beauty drink Beauty Milk (for glowing skin, healthy digestion, and stronger immunity) and the Beauty Drunk (multivitamin supplements). She also introduced Dear Face’s collagen drink that has been a big hit in the market. Currently, she has over 2,000 distribution highways all over the Philippines and 50 partners across Asia, Europe, Canada, and America.
“People were retrenched from their jobs due to the pandemic, so I started conceptualizing about the idea of distributorship, like a multi-level marketing for Dear Face,” she shares the approach. “It was hard for me to start my own business because nobody in my family was into business. I am actually the first one who jumped out of the employment pattern. But I was optimistic and believed that I would earn from selling soap and beauty products.”
Jonah adds that competition was tough when the business opened. Skincare from Korea and Thailand reigned over the beauty counters. “What was difficult 10 years ago was how to establish yourself as a trusted brand since the market was into international products. Being in this industry for 10 years is both rewarding and hard,” she continues. But despite the cost, she has made it stronger. “We need to have a unique selling point all the time. Without competitors, we cannot be relevant because people would want to compare. It’s important to listen to our customers and know what they need when we develop products. We don’t release products that are just going along with the fad. We make sure we’re ahead of the game,” she maintains.
Read more about Jonah Sison-Ramos’ inspiring mission in MEGA’s July 2023 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Text CLINT HOLTON POTESTAS
Photography EXCEL PANLAQUE of KLIQ INC.
Creative Direction MARC YELLOW
Makeup ARJAY ZURITA
Hair JONNEL DERILO
Styling CHRISTINE SION, assisted by ANGEL CASTILLO
Shoot coordination TONI MENDOZA AND ERIKA QUERUBIN
Shot on location TIMMY IN THE WOODS