The 50% Cocoa Butter has super moisturizing results

Andrea Lo, 24, wears many hats. Apart from overseeing the family business, and her own importation company, she is also the sole proprietor of a bodycare brand called Vanilla & Co. A woman very much into beauty and fashion, she used to make lip balms and perfumes on the side while working for her family. “I got really engrossed and fascinated with how beautifying products were created that I began to study about the ingredients and the chemistry of it all. And, since I am an advocate of natural and preservatives-free products, it was second nature to me to create Vanilla & Co., a product line has natural and/or organic ingredients,” she shares.

From its humble beginnings online, Vanilla & Co. now ships internationally to the US, Australia, Singapore, to name a few.  “We’ve given to Ms. Lucy Torres-Gomez and she boasted that our Whipped Buttercreams surpassed other imported European products,” reveals Lo.  Not surprising, since the products are so addicting!  A whiff of Vanilla & Co.’s deliciously dessert-scented products is more than enough incentive to devise a beauty care regimen. 

Andrea Lo tells Manila Bulletin how this three-year-old business blossomed into a successful, homegrown brand:
 
Manila Bulletin: How did you choose the name Vanilla & Co.?
Andrea Lo: It’s called Vanilla & Co. because I love anything vanilla! I love its mild yet very present fragrance. The “& Company” is its depiction that we also offer different scents that can be accompanied by vanilla, to make those scents more prominent.

MB: What was your first product?
I love lip balms so it was automatic that I made all sorts of lip balms with different scents and shades. I was my first customer.

MB: Where do you get your inspiration?  Why those scents?
Since I have a deep love for beauty, I actually get inspiration from the products that I love or, more specifically, the products that I need. The scents stemmed from my love of desserts that I can’t eat since I’m forever on a diet (laughs). So you can attest that Vanilla & Co. is a brand that is very personal, something that every person can associate with, be it the scents or the products that they have always needed.

MB: What’s your personal favorite product?
I love our 50% Cocoa Butter. It’s natural, highly moisturizing and it’s totally a comfort product. Its slogan—”It naturally smells like dark chocolate”—conveys that the ultimate, comforting food for every girl is now also the ultimate, skin-beautifying product.

I also love Vanilla & Co. Whipped Buttercreams, they’re very moisturizing in a totally non-greasy way. You’d be surprised how it can be just that.  Also, our scrubs and polishes cater to every skin type. Whether you’re allergic to certain oils, react to certain creams, we have a product for you. We have dry, cream-based and oil-based scrubs  and polishes.  Also worth noting are our Hair & Body Mists, very refreshing.

Visit http://vanillacompany.multiply.com to check out the goods. Interested buyers can submit their ORDER FORM via our site.  Contact details include mobile phone number: 0922-8422656 and email address: vanilla.company@yahoo.com.ph  You can also visit The Kitchen of Carla and Elaine, G/F Promenade Bldg., Wilson St. corner P. Guevarra, San Juan.