Filipino personal care company to expand into international markets

Splash Corporation, a producer of personal care products, cosmetics, and more recently nutraceutical products, has announced its plans to expand using the $ 44 m it expects to raise from its Initial Public Offering.

Splash products are already distributed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Sudan, as well as being particularly popular among Filipinos working in many Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

The company's targeted markets for the moment are China and other Asia Pacific countries.

However, Splash Corporation's chairman and chief executive Roland B Hortoleza, has said there are long term plans to break into North American and European markets.

Furthermore, Hortoleza added that the company hoped that international sales would make up 25 per cent of its total revenue by 2010.

Many of the product ranges are based around the company's signature product Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) - the term virgin referring to the production method of cold pressing using no chemicals that claims to leave its health benefits intact.

The oil appears as an ingredient in various skin care products - reputedly softening skin, preventing damage and creating a youthful, healthy appearance.

In addition, the company market the oil as a nutraceutical with a wide range of health giving properties, including healthy skin, producing both natural and flavoured versions.

Ed Patron, the president of Splash International, Splash Coperation's international arm, said that these 'products represent a big step towards our dream of making Splash a significant global player in the beauty, personal care, and health and wellness industries' , adding that it would continue to innovate and anticipate the needs of consumers both at home and overseas.

Earlier this year the company held a conference in Los Angeles, California, in an attempt to find distributors and therefore introduce its new product lines into North America, reporting positive responses with attendees showing keen interest in the products with the aim of marketing them.

At present the company is on the look out for European distributors of their products, in the hope of becoming a truly global supplier.

Splash's product ranges, if launched, could prove a success in the current climate as they target the growing number of consumers interested in natural- and plant-based products, in addition to tapping into the market for nutraceuticals that promise skin care benefits that is currently gaining momentum.