The Beginning: Beauty Made By and For Filipinos

Nina Ellaine Dizon founded Colourette in 2015 to create colour cosmetics that truly serve the Filipino consumer. The market was dominated by Western and Korean brands using Caucasian models and formulations designed for different climates and skin tones. Nina saw an opportunity to build a different brand rooted in inclusivity, accessibility, and cultural pride underpinned by their motto: "Beauty In All Ways."

Starting as a bootstrapped venture selling soap scraps in her early twenties, Nina grew Colourette into a profitable business by staying obsessively close to her community. She built a loyal following of over 2.2 million on TikTok, establishing herself as both founder and authentic voice of the brand. Her vision was simple but powerful: premium quality colour cosmetics at affordable prices, designed specifically for diverse Filipino skin tones and formulated with the Filipino lifestyle in mind, from sweating and commuting to all of what the Philippine climate brings.

We invested in May 2024 (Read our initial partnership story here) because the fundamentals were aligned. Nina had proven founder-market fit with strong traction, and the brand showed early signs of becoming a category champion for the Philippines. Around the same time, DSGCP helped bring on Stephanie Chan Tanjuatco as COO, who brought operational discipline from Shopee Fashion, L'Oréal, and McKinsey. The combination of Nina's brand vision, product development expertise and community instincts with Stephanie's execution rigor gave us conviction that Colourette could scale sustainably while staying true to its roots.

Colourette Today: Execution at Scale

Colourette celebrated their 10th birthday in 2025 and since our initial investment in May 2024, they have consistently delivered. Revenue has grown over 2.5x year-over-year, while improving unit economics.

The brand's innovation engine continues to deliver hits. Launches like their 'Face Base' products, including Third Base (ranked #8 in the Philippines makeup category on Shopee within weeks) and lip products like Jelly Kiss lip stain (trended #1 on TikTok with 1.5 million+ organic views) demonstrate Colourette's ability to anticipate what consumers want and convert enthusiasm into sales.

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What sets Colourette apart is the community at the heart of its brand. By listening closely to their audience and co-creating with them, Colourette turns product launches into cultural moments. The Jelly Kiss launch exemplified this: a two-day offline activation generated 250+ pieces of organic user content with zero paid media. This community-driven approach fuels a powerful flywheel where consumers feel seen, share authentically, and amplify every new drop.

That community-first approach translates into commercial momentum. Ysobel Sabado Gamboa, who joined as Business Development Director in 2024, has helped Colourette establish and build marketplace dominance on TikTok Shop and Shopee. On these platforms, the brand maintains 4.9-star ratings and continues to see strong year-over-year growth. Yso's e-commerce expertise, combined with the operational drive Stephanie brings and the authentic, community-driven soul Nina created, has professionalized execution without losing what makes Colourette resonate.

Why We're Doubling Down

The online model is working, with significant headroom. The Philippines colour cosmetics market reached USD 437 million in 2024 and is projected to hit USD 890 million by 2029, growing at a 14.8% CAGR [1]. The Philippines outperforms the global growth rate of 6.3% and is ranked in the top quartile of growth rates worldwide [2]. Colourette competes in a fragmented landscape where the top ten brands hold just 38% market share, but local digital-first players are gaining ground against legacy multinationals [1]. The brand's digital flywheel positions it to capture disproportionate share as e-commerce and social commerce penetration deepens

Offline expansion represents the next unlock. In 2024, 84.8% of the Philippines colour cosmetics sales were offline versus 15.2% online [1]. While Colourette's business today is predominantly digital, the offline opportunity is the natural next chapter for a brand that's built a strong digital foundation and is ready to scale beyond it.

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Colourette is delivering strong growth with capital efficiency. The company achieved 2.9x capital efficiency. With healthy unit economics, controlled burn, and a clear path to scale, the business has demonstrated it can grow responsibly while maintaining margin discipline.

Deep consumer love underpins everything. Colourette's 4.9-star ratings, record-breaking livestream GMVs, and organic virality signal genuine product-market fit. Consumers don't just buy Colourette, they advocate for it. Nina's authenticity as founder-influencer and the brand's inclusive, Filipino-first positioning create an emotional connection that's difficult for incumbents to replicate.

DSGCP is doubling down because Colourette has proven the model. The team executes with discipline, the brand resonates deeply, and the market opportunity is substantial. With Nina's product vision, Stephanie's operational rigor, and a team built to scale, Colourette is positioned to become the definitive Filipino beauty brand for the next generation of consumers.

Footnotes:

[1] Euromonitor, Colour Cosmetics in the Philippines Report, 2024

[2] Euromonitor, World Market for Beauty and Personal Care, 2024

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