From TikTok star to TikTok millionaire: The story of Sy Glow’s Mother Lou

MANILA, Philippines — “Everything starts with Tiktok.”

Those were the words of Lou Neria Maestre Putian, more popularly known as Mother Lou, who not only has 1.6 million followers but has also managed to rake in millions, thanks to a business that was inspired by the social media platform.

With more free time in her hands, Mother Lou decided to open her own TikTok channel where she uploaded videos of her interactions with her household staff. While she was able to generate 50,000 followers at that time, thanks to the good vibes her videos generated, she also had her own share of bashers.

These bashers would bash her about her fair complexion and even claimed that her frequent use of glutathione helped her achieve her white skin. Forever the optimist, Mother Lou saw an opportunity amid this bad publicity and decided to use it to her own advantage.

Piggy bank savings

With P15,000 she borrowed from her children’s piggy banks, she was able to produce 100 bars of soap and 15 bottles of lotion and she sold them under the brand Sy Glow. To convince her followers to purchase her products, Mother Lou tested the product on one of her household helpers and went online daily to report the effects of the product on her helper.

As the days went by, Mother Lou’s followers noted that her helper’s skin was gradually whitening. It was only a matter of time before Mother Lou’s business grew, and she is now making millions via TikTok.

“Before I offer my products to the public, I test them and make sure that they are really effective. As the business grew, I opened a number of shops and had resellers but for me, I prefer selling on TikTok Shop. I am very grateful for this platform and I do live selling every day, from 8 in the morning to 12 midnight,” she said.

Mother Lou has come a long way. A native of Valencia, Bohol, Mother Lou related how her family was very poor, so poor that even at the tender age of seven years old, she would worry every day about where her family would get their next meal. She and her siblings, all nine of them, had to work to ensure that they had enough money to cover their allowance and their meals.

Making ends meet

To make ends meet, Mother Lou would sell anything. During her elementary days, she would sell empanada and ice candy. In high school, she would cook one kilo of sugar coated peanuts every night and repack them for sale. During her college days, she would sell soap, makeup, shoes, bags, even choco balls.

“One of my teachers gave me the name ‘Walking Sari-sari Store’ because I would sell anything and everything, so that I could finish my schooling. Even if life was hard for me and my siblings, we managed to graduate and finish our studies. I even graduated with honors during my elementary and high school days,” she related.

Mother Lou added that her family was so poor that they did not have slippers. As she did well in school, Mother Lou would borrow a set of uniform and shoes just for the occasion. Since they had no electricity, she would go out at night and study at the nearest lamp post.

She recalled a time when she wanted to give up on her college studies. She studied in a convent run school where the sisters were strict about the time spent on working at school and the time spent on their studies. She was unable to make enough money to cover all her expenses.

“I visited my mother and I told her that I would stop schooling because I was unable to make ends meet. My mother disappeared for a while and when she came back she gave me some money and pleaded with me to continue with my studies. That, for me, was my turning point and I decided to persevere,” Mother Lou said.

Her inspiration

“My brand name was inspired by the names of my children Scarlett and Yuki as well as the name of Henry Sy. He was featured in one of the textbooks when I was in Grade 6 and I wanted to be like him because of his business acumen,” she said.

Growing up, Mother Lou listed all the things she wanted to achieve in her notebook. Now that her products are a big hit online with her daily live selling sessions, Mother Lou is slowly ticking off the items she listed in it. One of them on the list is to buy a house for her mother.

With all that has happened in her life, Mother Lou wants to take Sy Glow to the next level. She wants it to be the leading skin whitening brand not only in the Philippines but in the world as well. Her targets include the US, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Middle East.

Editor’s Note: This press release from Tiktok is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.