Dina Dela Paz Stalder remembers growing up poor and working as a farmer in Laguna province, a medical representative in Manila and a domestic helper in England.
When she returned to the Philippines in the late 1980s, she did some skin-care formulations based on what she saw in Europe that would prove successful in the country. Now at 54, Stalder who has formerly married to a Swiss national head an empire of skin care laboratory and beauty clinics.
She is the founder and president of BCP Dermatological Corp., Stalder Laboratories and Diana Stalder Face, Body, Skincare Center which used to be known as Dermaline Inc.
In 2017, she was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World by the Filipina Women’s Network.
“I started with nothing,” Dina says in an interview. “I was born as a farmer. I saw the hardship that my parents went through. When I was a student, I needed to walk on the mud for 45 minutes during the rainy season just to go to school. Sometimes, my father would put me on the back of the carabao to go to school. So I have seen poverty and lack of education. These two factors keep me going to this day,” she says.
Her parents sent her to Manila to study Medical Technology. She ended up becoming a medical representative for a dermatological company. This gave her an idea to delve into the same business, and she eventually teamed up with a pharmacist to establish a skin care clinic. The partnership later soured and broke up.
Dina decided to work as a domestic helper in England, initially for a British-Filipina couple and later for a Jewish family who taught her about medical formulations. Armed with this know-how, she returned to the country to put up a small pharmacy with her own formulations.
With almost zero capital, she did her skin-care formulations in a small steel pot in 1989. She was also the one who served as the medical representative for her own product under the Dermaline brand.
With the help of the network of doctors she nurtured while she was working as a medrep, Dina was able to grow Dermaline as a skin care brand. The good product quality helped expand the brand awareness. She earned her first million in 1991 at the age of 27.
Dina would later rename Dermaline as Diana Stalder Face, Body and Skincare Inc. in 1996 after one of her daughter, Diana, who now serves as the vice president of operations. The business grew to include a spa and cafe.
Diana Stalder has been making its own legacy in terms of being a health and beauty hub in the Philippines. It is known for high-quality service and world-class products that come from its own laboratories and farms. These products are FDA-approved, GMP-certified (Good Manufacturing Practice), Halal-certified and compliant with the Asean Harmonization for Cosmetics Regulations Standard.
Currently, Diana Stalder offers skin services and specialized treatments handled by medical specialists like basic care, whitening, anti-acne, anti-aging, peel, warts, and body. Their specialists, therapist, and workers are well-trained and service-oriented because they are supervised and trained by Dina and her daughter Diana.
Unlike other facial centers in the Philippines, Diana Stalder offers across-the-board services such as casmara treatment—an algae mask that is also used in anti-aging procedures and that originated in Spain. It also offers caviar facial treatment that focuses on anti-aging procedures and that originated in the United Kingdom.
Other than services, the company is into direct selling of skin whitening, sunscreen, acne treatment, toning and cleansing, moisturizing preparation, skin vitamins, beauty bar, personal care and product kits that are manufactured in their own laboratories. Their laboratories, Stalder Lab and BCP Dermatological Corp., produce diverse formulations that assure customers of premium quality products.
Diana Stalder offers not only beauty products but also healthier food that became their trademark in the business. The concept of having a healthy cafe is to help reduce skin problems and promote healthy living.
The DS Cafe serves mouthwatering salads, appetizing sandwiches, leafy vegetables, flavorful juices and various meals that offer a lower calorie count. The courses that they offer are 100-percent organic and all the ingredients used come from the Stalder Farm.
After reaping success for almost 30 years, Dina is giving back to the community. She is helping indigent families in her hometown of San Pablo, Laguna. She lets the older ones work in her plantation and she provides education about farming.
“You have to teach them how to fish,” she says.
Diana Stalder, whose main office in located in Sampaloc, Manila, has clinics/stores at Gateway Mall in Cubao, Quezon City; Megamall in Mandaluyong City and SM City Calamba in Laguna. They also have a franchised branch at SM Bacolod City in Negros Occidental.
Diana, the 24-year-old vice president of operations, says the plan is to grow the network of clinics to 10 this year. “I hope that this company will continue to flourish, as we promote education on the pharma side,” says Diana.