Beauty industry veteran Mathilda Koh, who started wellness brand Bioskin at the age of 22, shares her passion for providing affordable, quality skincare products and keeping up with industry trends in a competitive landscape.

Ms Mathilda Koh is not an actress or a supermodel, but it’s likely that you have seen her face on billboards and advertisements for beauty and wellness brand Bioskin. Instead of hiring celebrity spokespersons, the Bioskin founder and chief executive officer prefers to be the face of the business that she started back in 1996 – testament to her faith in the efficacy of the brand’s treatments and products.

Ms Koh is, after all, the best person to front Bioskin, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. At the young age of 22 – when most people would have just started working – the enterprising go-getter already knew she wanted to offer quality beauty products and treatments at affordable prices. 

Beauty industry veteran Mathilda Koh, who started wellness brand Bioskin at the age of 22, shares her passion for providing affordable, quality skincare products and keeping up with industry trends in a competitive landscape.

Ms Mathilda Koh is not an actress or a supermodel, but it’s likely that you have seen her face on billboards and advertisements for beauty and wellness brand Bioskin. Instead of hiring celebrity spokespersons, the Bioskin founder and chief executive officer prefers to be the face of the business that she started back in 1996 – testament to her faith in the efficacy of the brand’s treatments and products.

Ms Koh is, after all, the best person to front Bioskin, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. At the young age of 22 – when most people would have just started working – the enterprising go-getter already knew she wanted to offer quality beauty products and treatments at affordable prices. 

She was then working as an air stewardess and faced the occupational hazard of having dry and dehydrated skin due to long flights. Back in humid Singapore, her skin would also act up because of the climate difference. “I wanted to provide affordable skincare solutions and deliver effective results for everyone else suffering from these issues,” she shared in an interview.

Her age initially made it difficult for her to gain the trust of customers, who doubted that she had the knowledge and experience to help them solve their skin woes. “Because of this, I worked harder and provided a money-back guarantee to customers,” said Ms Koh. “Before prescribing a product or treatment, I always test it myself.”

Ms Koh “painstakingly” saved up S$30,000 to make her business dream come true, and took up multiple courses at beauty centres while still working her stewardess day job to gain deeper knowledge on skincare ingredients and treatments.

Beauty industry veteran Mathilda Koh, who started wellness brand Bioskin at the age of 22, shares her passion for providing affordable, quality skincare products and keeping up with industry trends in a competitive landscape.

Ms Mathilda Koh is not an actress or a supermodel, but it’s likely that you have seen her face on billboards and advertisements for beauty and wellness brand Bioskin. Instead of hiring celebrity spokespersons, the Bioskin founder and chief executive officer prefers to be the face of the business that she started back in 1996 – testament to her faith in the efficacy of the brand’s treatments and products.

Ms Koh is, after all, the best person to front Bioskin, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. At the young age of 22 – when most people would have just started working – the enterprising go-getter already knew she wanted to offer quality beauty products and treatments at affordable prices. 

She was then working as an air stewardess and faced the occupational hazard of having dry and dehydrated skin due to long flights. Back in humid Singapore, her skin would also act up because of the climate difference. “I wanted to provide affordable skincare solutions and deliver effective results for everyone else suffering from these issues,” she shared in an interview.

Her age initially made it difficult for her to gain the trust of customers, who doubted that she had the knowledge and experience to help them solve their skin woes. “Because of this, I worked harder and provided a money-back guarantee to customers,” said Ms Koh. “Before prescribing a product or treatment, I always test it myself.”

Ms Koh “painstakingly” saved up S$30,000 to make her business dream come true, and took up multiple courses at beauty centres while still working her stewardess day job to gain deeper knowledge on skincare ingredients and treatments.

Her first Bioskin salon was a 1,500 sq ft outlet at The Adelphi. Although that outlet is no longer around today, the brand has six branches all over Singapore, including its flagship at The Centrepoint, and employs more than 100 staff.

Her initial foray into the industry was “a one-woman show”, she admitted, and she had to double as an accountant, marketer, business developer, frontline consultant and therapist. Ms Koh, who is still involved in her chain’s marketing campaigns as well as research and development, recalls that many of her first customers were contacts of her family and friends, something which she remains thankful for.

She also appreciates how facing challenges and hardship in her career has helped to shape her into the person she is today.

STAYING STRONG EVEN AFTER A QUARTER OF A CENTURY

According to Ms Koh, the younger customers at Bioskin commonly face acne-related issues while mature customers usually have pigmentation concerns. That is why Bioskin offers a comprehensive suite of high-tech facial, body and scalp treatment services as well as products formulated in-house to cater to Asian skin problems in a humid climate and stressful, urban environment.

When a customer steps into a Bioskin salon, the therapist first analyses her skin condition before choosing a facial most suited to her needs. The brand’s signature facials include Gua Sha, O2 Light, Bojin Detox, Water Diamond and Skin Purifying Treatment.

The continuous attention to details and customers’ needs has won Bioskin many awards, including the Asia Excellence Award 2014 & ELLE Beauty Treat List 2016. Ms Koh herself is no stranger to awards to and has won many for her leadership and business acumen, including the Spirt of Enterprise award in 2010, the Successful Entrepreneur award from 2010 to 2012, and the Asia Pacific Women Entrepreneurs Award in 2013.

Beauty industry veteran Mathilda Koh, who started wellness brand Bioskin at the age of 22, shares her passion for providing affordable, quality skincare products and keeping up with industry trends in a competitive landscape.

Ms Mathilda Koh is not an actress or a supermodel, but it’s likely that you have seen her face on billboards and advertisements for beauty and wellness brand Bioskin. Instead of hiring celebrity spokespersons, the Bioskin founder and chief executive officer prefers to be the face of the business that she started back in 1996 – testament to her faith in the efficacy of the brand’s treatments and products.

Ms Koh is, after all, the best person to front Bioskin, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. At the young age of 22 – when most people would have just started working – the enterprising go-getter already knew she wanted to offer quality beauty products and treatments at affordable prices. 

She was then working as an air stewardess and faced the occupational hazard of having dry and dehydrated skin due to long flights. Back in humid Singapore, her skin would also act up because of the climate difference. “I wanted to provide affordable skincare solutions and deliver effective results for everyone else suffering from these issues,” she shared in an interview.

Her age initially made it difficult for her to gain the trust of customers, who doubted that she had the knowledge and experience to help them solve their skin woes. “Because of this, I worked harder and provided a money-back guarantee to customers,” said Ms Koh. “Before prescribing a product or treatment, I always test it myself.”

Ms Koh “painstakingly” saved up S$30,000 to make her business dream come true, and took up multiple courses at beauty centres while still working her stewardess day job to gain deeper knowledge on skincare ingredients and treatments.

Her first Bioskin salon was a 1,500 sq ft outlet at The Adelphi. Although that outlet is no longer around today, the brand has six branches all over Singapore, including its flagship at The Centrepoint, and employs more than 100 staff.

Her initial foray into the industry was “a one-woman show”, she admitted, and she had to double as an accountant, marketer, business developer, frontline consultant and therapist. Ms Koh, who is still involved in her chain’s marketing campaigns as well as research and development, recalls that many of her first customers were contacts of her family and friends, something which she remains thankful for.

She also appreciates how facing challenges and hardship in her career has helped to shape her into the person she is today.

STAYING STRONG EVEN AFTER A QUARTER OF A CENTURY

According to Ms Koh, the younger customers at Bioskin commonly face acne-related issues while mature customers usually have pigmentation concerns. That is why Bioskin offers a comprehensive suite of high-tech facial, body and scalp treatment services as well as products formulated in-house to cater to Asian skin problems in a humid climate and stressful, urban environment.

When a customer steps into a Bioskin salon, the therapist first analyses her skin condition before choosing a facial most suited to her needs. The brand’s signature facials include Gua Sha, O2 Light, Bojin Detox, Water Diamond and Skin Purifying Treatment.

The continuous attention to details and customers’ needs has won Bioskin many awards, including the Asia Excellence Award 2014 & ELLE Beauty Treat List 2016. Ms Koh herself is no stranger to awards to and has won many for her leadership and business acumen, including the Spirt of Enterprise award in 2010, the Successful Entrepreneur award from 2010 to 2012, and the Asia Pacific Women Entrepreneurs Award in 2013.

Ms Koh shared that despite the COVID-19 situation, Bioskin is actually “doing better than before”. She attributes this to the brand’s longstanding status in the industry and its loyal customers. Her success is also visible from her expectations of every Bioskin staff member, in order to ensure that excellent customer service is maintained.

Said Ms Koh: “The beauty industry is definitely more competitive now, with new brands coming into the market. But I am confident that Bioskin will remain the leading brand as we devote time and effort to research and upgrading. We also understand the growing demands of digital marketing and constant innovation. With 25 years in the beauty industry, our services are still in widespread demand and with constant innovation, our business will soar to greater heights.”

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Bioskin is offering a special 3 Choose 2 promotion. Choose among the Body Wellness, Customised Slimming and Customised Scalp Treatment, at the price of S$48, limited to the first 50 customers. Send "Todaypromo" to 8288 1133 to find out more.