Marilao Bulacan – leading local officials to welcome the opening of the 13 million Bulacan Cosmetics Manufacturing plant in Brgy. Sta. Rosa (May 21, 2012), a subsidiary of its main plant in Liloan, Cebu City.

The cosmetics firm will have a production capacity of 4000 units of each product per day similar to that of in Liloan, Cebu without the use of any machine and will need local employment.

Luzon plant is the answer to GT Cosmetics Manufacturing to cater to the demands of their growing clientele that spans from northern and southern Luzon, said Engr. Leonora V. Salvane, proprietress of GT Cosmetics.

The Marilao plant according to Salvane is also expected to augment the production output in Cebu as GT Cosmetics contemplates on expanding its foreign market following its first-ever export of shipment of over 1,000 beauty soap product to Finland late last year.

Japan, Hongkong, and Dubai are requesting samples of their products especially their best-seller the papaya and carrot soap variants and”we hope to consummate a deal with these clients soon,” said Salvane.

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in the said countries have been working around their products, after a great number of OFWs have tried them from fellow OFWs.

GT Cosmetics hopes to expand its clientele in Europe with the help of its Finland buyer who promised to promote the products in the neighboring countries, said Salvane.

Leonora B. Salvane, a chemical engineer, while in her spare parts business in 1994, started her soap making activity by making it in her kitchen, giving out samples in its rectangular shape (cut from a whole in a pan) to neighbors and friends, who then became its first customers and dealers.

She formulated the coconut oil based beauty bar soaps using organic and herbal extracts that help improve skin, the carrot, papaya and bleaching organic soaps.

By word of mouth, this small family activity (her children are wrapping the soaps while watching TV) had become a small enterprise.

Her products were nameless until 1996, when she named it GT (God’s Talent) Cosmetics and in 2009, the products can already be found in Watson outlets.

At present, GT Cosmetics, carrot, papaya and bleaching soap, together with the new products, the night cream, day cream, sunblack, and toner can be purchased in 200 retail outlets such as Watson Personal Care stores.

The same products are also sold at Robinson Supermarkets, SM Malls and Supermarkets, SaveMore Supermarkets, Gaisano Metro Chain of stores as well as other leading small supermarket stores and soon in all leading drugstore nationwide.

Filipinos take pride in this all-Filipino endeavor, 100 percent Filipino capital, Filipino talent, Filipino materials and Filipino workforce. All are local or internal to the country, but the market is international, of all ages, of all sexes and of all races.

Kudos to Engr. Savena and to all who will do the same. (Estrella Z. Gallardo, PSciJourn MegaManila)