According to figures from the 2024 Philippine Census, there are at least 13.1 million Filipino women in the Philippines between the ages of 35 and 54–the age cohort of elder millennials and younger members of Generation X. This is a significant figure when you consider that these are the generations of bebots and kikays who now consider themselves “aunties” and are making themselves known in the tita corners of social media as trentahin and kuwarentahin, if not older.
For an elite number of these women, medical intervention is the answer in terms of laser treatments, thread lifts, and Botox. They’re also most likely to upgrade their cosmetics purchases to “tita” brands like Estee Lauder, Chanel, and La Prairie, thanks to their higher earning power. But the reality remains that the vast majority of women in this age cohort do not have the money or the patience for expensive skincare and aesthetic procedures.
Underserving The Older Woman
The fact also remains that the Philippine cosmetic industry continues to underserve older women in general. Many mass-market cosmetics in the market, both from local and imported brands, are targeted toward younger consumers with oily skin, which has resulted in an overabundance of matte and powdery products in the market. When a brand or product does target mature skin, the shade ranges are off, the marketing barely registers, or the salesladies still know nothing about selling the product properly.
Older women are also underserved by the very people who are meant to help them in the process. Much has been written about Vicki Belo’s demonization of moisturizer, but no one really talks about how Belo and other aesthetic-oriented professionals make their money from younger patients with “real” problems such as severe acne. Not all dermatologists serve the aging patient.
It’s sad, because the “beauty problems” that mid-life and perimenopausal women face, such as dry skin (and the resulting “cake face” when putting makeup on top of said dry skin), cannot be solved by cleanser and sunblock alone, let alone powder and lip tint. And if it weren’t for the guidance and intervention of makeup artists, aestheticians, and well-trained sales reps, all these trentahin and kuwarentahin ladies would still be in the dark.
Breaking the Tita Stereotype
The first thing that the older Filipina has to remember is that aging is not a life sentence. Just because somebody’s tita retreated to expensive designer and legacy brand skincare after her 40th birthday doesn’t mean they have to do the same. One of the reasons why Korean, Japanese, and even Chinese prestige brands are outselling Western designer brands in this region’s current market has to do with the fact that women are seeing faster, more tangible results in the mirror with Asian products made for Asian skin. Southeast Asian skincare is also on the rise, with sunscreens from Indonesia and Thailand outperforming their Western and East Asian counterparts in the humid weather.
The other thing to remember for the kuwarentahin and older market is history itself. We can recall how, back in the ’90s, makeup was just something you wore to be presentable, and most commercial brands sold themselves as such. And while local artist lines have always been around, we consider the likes of MAC and Make Up For Ever the market forebears of brands like Issy, with their boundary-pushing advertising and mission/vision statements for “all ages, all races, all sexes.”
So yes, makeup and skincare beyond “pretty” has always been in the kuwarentahin beauty arsenal. The question now remains, how are we going to make the most of it?
The Tita-Approved Kikay Kit
With that said, here are some tita-approved skincare and makeup finds that we are currently using, enjoying, and have no hesitation recommending.
Skincare
We at Palette & Pitch are big believers in sunscreen, and in our experience we believe that the best sunscreens are cosmetically elegant and scientifically proven to work. Past favorite sunscreens include Klued’s Ceramide Daily Barrier Sunscreen (which can double as a moisturizer for us) and +Ful Sunscreen, with more brands to test down the pike.
We also believe in moisturizers, which to us are a must-have for our dehydrated perimenopausal skin. In fact, we are experimenting with ingredients such as ceramides and hyaluronic acid to find out if these ingredients are compatible. We’re bigger fans of creams, though, and among our favorites are The Face Shop’s TFS The SMIM Moist Recharge Repair Cream and Bioten Hydro X-Cell cream.
And on the days when our skin truly needs help, retinol is the answer. Luxe Organix’s Retinol + Bakuchiol ointment is our product of choice at the moment, and we’ve also tried retinols from Good Molecules and Klued.
Cleansers we can give or take, though, and we can talk about double cleansing some other time. But we’re praying for a Filipino brand to come up with a truly moisturizing creamy cleanser, and we’re open to testing if a local or SEA brand were to come up with one. (Anyone?)
Makeup
One of the revelations that we arrived at was that no amount of “dewy” primers and setting sprays are going to make our skin look as soft and glowy as a K-drama heroine’s. But if we must talk about primers, our current favorite is the Spotlight Prism Glow, which gives back dimension even when our skincare fails to deliver. For setting sprays, we like Issy’s Bi-Phase and Skintific’s Radiance Booster Serum Spray for the extra hydration.
And since we’ve mentioned foundation, we are late to the Issy party, especially since their Active Skin Balm is now discontinued. We’re testing the Active Skin Stick at the moment, though, and are waiting for our other fundas to run out before buying the Active Foundation, which we hear is fantastic for mature skin. Issy also makes our favorite concealers, and the Fluid Flex concealer is slowly replacing our old faithful Maybelline Fit Me as a ride-or-die.
No discussion of mature skin is complete without a mention of cream blush, and products such as Issy’s Creme Stick, Barenbliss’ Butter Up Blush Stick, and Popique’s Multi-Use Palette are worth a mention in this space for being long-lasting and non-drying. Popique and Barenbliss are also creamy and lasting enough to use as eyeshadow, while the Detail Clay Pens are best for neutral looks.
Eyebrows are another sore point for older makeup wearers. Our brand of choice for this is In2It, which makes the best non-pencil brow products for our needs. The Absidy brow gel comes highly recommended, though, so expect a review of that in the future.
And as for lipstick… we have to give it to the older titas here, because Revlon Super Lustrous Cream Lipstick is one of the few lip products that can survive a full work day for us, complete with lunch and endless meetings. Special credit also goes to Enigma’s Lip Lore formula, which notoriously lasted through a marathon session on Teams, and the newly discontinued GRWM Lip Glaze stains, which I once called “lamay-proof” for staying on post-snacks at a wake.
Never Too Old, Not Too Late
There is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to aging and maturity. Like we said, turning older is not a life sentence for as long as you keep an open mind about where you’re going. And if we can pivot back to blogging in our late 40s, then we can certainly embrace growth and whimsy in our personal aesthetic.
Curious to know about how the older generation of Filipinas can make an impact on the P-beauty market? Make sure to check out our Substack newsletter for upcoming reports and insights.
