By Rosemarie Khoo Mohd Sani
KUALA LUMPUR: After taking the brave and risky move to set up Healez Sdn Bhd (Healez) three years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic, founder Edward Cheng believes that the company’s skincare products have now gained the trust it needs to jump further and reach out to more consumers.
With close to RM500,000 worth of domestic sales per month, Cheng and Healez’s co-founder and marketing expert, Faisal Ismail plan to recruit more sales agents and sell one million Healez Beauty products by year-end.
“Currently we have about 180 agents nationwide and about 60 therapists who use our products. We hope to train and get more agents on board and aim to have at least one agent in each district.
“We are also banking on our social media engagements via platforms such as Tiktok, e-commerce platforms and website as well as engagements with selected pharmacies and shops to gain more traction with our premium, yet affordable, offerings,” he told Bernama.
Cheng believes that the company’s made-in-Malaysia product range would appeal to all consumers as they can be used on sensitive skin, including those affected by eczema.
Formulated using premium ingredients, including hypochlorous acid and imported components such as bearberry (France), gold millet (Switzerland) and wood cauliflower mushroom (Japan), the main product testing were conducted in Japan in accordance with the country’s strict quality standards.
Despite the premium ingredients, Cheng said the company was able to keep the prices of its products affordable as it has direct access to renowned skincare scientists from Japan and Malaysia who had come up with formulations for many internationally renowned brands.
He was also grateful for the constant advice from the scientists, support and feedback from friends who are also industry experts, customers and his former students.
Establishing the Healez Beauty brand
Having worked with many renowned international cosmetic brands, Cheng knew that brand names can be powerful.
“However, many friends and customers encouraged us to produce our own skincare range during the pandemic as some people have lost their purchasing power and cannot afford to buy those expensive brands.
“It took us nine months to carefully craft our first product, the Acne Corrective Hydrating Serum,” said Cheng.
Since then, Healez has also introduced a whole range of products, including the Ultra Defensive Calming Cleanser and Daily Regenerative Soothing Moisturiser.
All of its products have been certified by the Health Ministry via the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency.
Faisal said the company plans to introduce several new products this year, namely sunscreen, spot gel and lip balm which can be used by both men and women.
“Research and development for the sunscreen are ongoing while the spot gel for acne treatment and lip balm are undergoing clinical tests at the moment.
“If all the testing and approval go well, we will launch them on our digital media platforms,” he said.
Expansion plans
Healez is currently setting up its new office in Jakarta, Indonesia this month, with plans to run its business through online platforms followed by pharmacies by stages.
“With a population of almost 280 million and similarities in terms of the climate and the people, Indonesia is a market that we have to explore.
“Our initial target is to sell 500,000 products, and we are confident of achieving this based on our study and strategies that we have for the market,” said Faisal.
Moving forward, both Cheng and Faisal are hopeful that Healez would soon enter the United States, Asian as well as the Middle East markets and other parts of the world. – BERNAMA
