Cristalle Henares scales mountains, talks sun damage

MANILA, Philippines - Vicki Belo, who advises her clients to wear sunscreen, doesn’t actually follow her own advice. “It’s a classic case of ‘Do as I say, not as I do,’” she says.

Her reasons for avoiding the stuff are abundant: their sticky, heavy formula make them untenable, according to Belo, and they make her break out since some formulas can clog pores. “I also sometimes get rashes and feel itchy because I’m allergic to benzophenones, a common ingredient of most sunblocks,” she confesses.

Belo decided to create her own sunblock, one that’s easy to use and light on the skin. It took her two years to formulate the product and now that it’s entered the market, she’s made it her advocacy to explain the dangers of sun damage.

“The treacherous thing about the sun is that it’s sneaky,” she says. “It feels warm and comforting and actually makes people happy. Sun exposure damage is cumulative. So if you exposed yourself to a lot of sun in your childhood and teens, thinking you were young and could take it, think again. Sun damage is like a computer virus: it enters your body and starts destroying some of your DNA little by little and the effects can be seen years later.

“Have you noticed how Caucasians look so good in their teens and early twenties then seem to suddenly age in their thirties? That’s the effect of DNA damage years before.

“I find it fascinating that women are willing to spend thousands of pesos on the latest anti-aging cream, the new miracle laser or radio frequency device,” says Belo. “However, they refuse to apply sunblock, which can prevent many of the wrinkles in the first place.”

Cristalle Henares, Belo scion and self-confessed beauty addict, knows all about the suncare business — having worked with her mother on the product from the beginning. YStyle sat down with her to talk about sun damage and summer vacations.

Why did you guys decide to enter the suncare market? 

My mom, Dr. Vicki Belo, always encourages people to use sunblock every day. Unfortunately, she doesn’t really follow her own advice. She excuses herself by blurting out the phrase, “Do as I say not as I do!” I asked her why she doesn’t wear it every day and she told me most of the sunblock products she’s tried make her extra oily. So I challenged her to formulate a sunblock of her own that met her standards — not only the protection level she desired but the physical attributes (non-sticky, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic) she wanted. 

We also felt that the Belo Essentials’ consumers, who are whitening fanatics, needed extra protection during the summer and would appreciate a stronger sunblock.

Belo’s suncare range

What differentiates this suncare range from the rest? 

Belo Essentials Sun Expert not only protects the surface of the skin but the cell protect technology helps the skin produce heat shock proteins that help the cells cope with the damaging effects of UV rays. Sun Expert uses zinc oxide which is milder than titanium oxide and is rated PA+++, which is the highest rating for UVA protection. UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and cause skin aging.

What, in your opinion, do women need to know about sun protection that they don’t know yet?

Even if you are under any shade (like an umbrella or a tree) but are still out in the open (like a beach or golf course), we still need to protect our skin with sunblock because the UV rays reflect on the sand, water and pavement around you.

What’s your daily regimen like? 

I begin the day drinking all my vitamins, including two capsules of Belo Nutraceuticals Glutathione+Collagen, since our glutathione levels are lowest in the morning.  I wash my face and apply sunblock before leaving the house.  I then reapply somewhere in the middle of the day. I’m prone to getting freckles so I use SPF40 (PA+++) whole year round. 

In the evening, I apply Obagi Elastiderm in the eye area and around my neck.  The skin around the eyes and neck are thinner so those areas need special care. I also apply Intensive Collagen Serum and Enormous Lash three times a week before I go to bed. 

Does your regimen change during the summer? 

The only change is the number of times I reapply sunblock. 

Where did you go this summer? 

I just came from a conference in Nepal with some of the members of Entrepreneurs Organization together with other delegates from Asia.  It was the first time that 11 helicopters flew into the Mt. Everest region.  We flew to a resort (a three-to-four-day trek) that had a great view of Mt. Everest, and Buddhist monks trekked up for two days from their Monastery just to welcome us there. It was an out-of-this-world trip that made me feel like I was on top of the world!