Cebuano cosmetics brand enters US, Canada markets

CEBU, Philippines - Coming from a successful financial year, GT Cosmetics Manufacturing, Inc. has just announced its first major attempt to bolster presence in the international market with its entry to the United States and Canada.

Founder and chief operating officer (COO) Leonora Salvane said the Cebu-based beauty products can now be accessed at Seafood City and Island Pacific outlets in at least five states in the US, as well as in Canada.

Earlier, the firm had already made arrangements with a distributor based in Finland.

Although the share of international market in their overall revenues is quite minimal at the moment, Salvane — a chemical engineer by profession — said they are expecting the move to help pull up their sales from foreign market by at least five percent.

Salvane, however, pointed out this is not their first try to tap the promising worldwide scene.

They had already entered the Malaysian market back in 2006, only to become short-lived after their partner-distributor unfortunately passed away.

She said they are more optimistic for this entry to North America as it’s their first time shipping loads of GT products with improved packaging to the other side of the world.

The new packaging of GT’s beauty soaps especially tailored for the US and Canadian customers  was unveiled last Saturday during the company’s ceremonial sponsorship signing with organizers of Miss Cebu 2014 as one of the pageant’s gold sponsors this year.

New and improved packaging for its products designed for Filipino patrons was also simultaneously revealed during the same program.

GT Cosmetics, a company that Salvane described as “having practically started from scratch,” enjoyed robust sales in beauty soaps, bleaching creams, toners and clarifiants in 2013 in what could be its most successful year ever as a business venture spanning nearly 20 years in the industry.

In December 2013, the company hit record breaking sales when it registered P24 million in monthly revenues, up by over 40 percent from the same month in 2012 when it posted P17 million.

Average monthly sales in 2013 was pegged at P23 million and P15 million in 2012, said the COO, who admittedly was still surprised by the market’s impressive reception on GT products.

Carrot soap and bleaching cream remain GT’s top selling products last year, according to Salvane.

She continues to attribute the drastic sales turnouts to GT’s proper market positioning, aggressive promotional campaigns, sustained mileage from the media, as well as the growing number of Filipinos, both men and women, who are becoming more beauty-conscious.

The company, which is turning two decades this June, spent P5 million in advertising and promotions in 2013 alone.

But Salvane said not much is spent on research and development primarily because she directly handles the job with the aid of her technical expertise in chemical engineering.

GT’s original manufacturing plant is located in Liloan town which runs a daily production requirement of at least 4,000 soaps. The town also hosts its only factory outlet in the Philippines where customers could get up to 30 percent discounts on GT products.

Last year, its second plant in the Philippines was opened in Bulacan province, catering to the market in the National Capital Region and Luzon.

GT Cosmetics Manufacturing, Inc. is a corporation composed of seven members of Salvane family, including Leonora, her husband and their five children. (FREEMAN)