Excelling in business is not an easy nut to crack, especially when one decides to take a route that only a few dare to follow. You’d be surprised to know, only about 50% of businesses survive the first five years. The stats can be intimidating and this means that succeeding in business requires special skill sets and a selected range of personal effectiveness traits. There are quite a number of businesses whose journeys are worthy of commendation, but a few deserve special mention. DE MOI by Demee Koch is on that list.
Demee Koch grew up like any other kid. She excelled in academics on her humble Island of Liloan Cebu in the Philippines and went on to graduate with a degree in Business. Providence then took her to Dubai where she landed a job at a multinational. Perhaps, one of the first skills to observe in the life of Demee is her ability to discern and tell when it was time to move on. Her quest for knowledge and career growth drove her to take on MBA studies in International Marketing at the Swiss Business School in Zurich.
While in Switzerland, she owned and led a grooming salon that metamorphosed into a one-stop parlour with high-end spa services. An encounter with a cancer survivor who came in to fix eyelash extensions solidified her passion for helping people change their beauty narrative. “I was immediately driven to discover a product that would address the concerns that people had, including temporary lash loss and eye irritation. I recognized the commercial potential of eyelash extensions, but I also recognized its potential drawbacks,” Demee says.
“Being a conscientious beauty entrepreneur means you need to know how your business affects people and the environment. I made sustainability a top priority by choosing environmentally friendly packaging, employing sustainable materials, and cutting waste in my business operations. My team is always striving that the ingredients are sourced ethically and that my supply chain is transparent”, she adds.
As a business, DE MOI is built on the principles of honesty and justice, offering “cruelty-free, socially relevant, and environmentally responsible products.” This is a bold move considering the craze for profiteering in the beauty industry. The good thing is, more beauty patrons are becoming more aware of sustainability issues and now they demand products that meet such standards. This win-win situation is what has made DE MOI so successful in its five-year journey.
Today, the brand has taken its rightful place on the shelves of beauty stores across the UK, Japan, and several Arab nations. The evolving industry standards and the demand of beauty patrons for natural and sustainable products fuel a burgeoning market, and with rare innovativeness, Demee has been able to carve a niche for herself in the industry. “The cosmetic industry must adopt practices that can rigorously and reliably measure a product’s environmental impact. It’s the need of the hour.
“DE MOI promotes the concept of conscious beauty. I believe there is beauty in power, and the best part of power is that it allows people to do beautiful things. That’s exactly what DE MOI intends to do — to empower its clients to do beautiful things for themselves, the environment, and society,” she notes. DE MOI also consciously advocates for the empowerment of women and girls by underscoring the role of femininity, and how women can rediscover beauty and strength in their femininity and affect the world positively.
