GT: From Neighborhood to Nationwide Market

CEBU, Philippines - LEONORA Salvane never imagined that her homemade soap products would someday be a sought-after skin-care commodity. She never even dreamed of making it big in her native Cebu, considering the very cut-throat competition.

GT Cosmetics Manufacturing had its humble beginnings in Liloan, Cebu, in 1994 after Salvane decided to put her dormant craftsmanship — as a chemical engineer — to good use.

In between tending their spare-parts supply business and being a wife and mother, Engr. Salvane would use what’s left of her time to make her soaps in the kitchen and cut them into rectangular shapes. Soon enough, what started as a soap-making pastime became a family activity as her children joined her in the wrapping of the finished products.

Salvane started the marketing of her brandless product by just giving out samples to neighbors and friends, who then became her first customers and later, dealers of her line of soaps.

The soaps remained brandless for a couple of years until Salvane decided to go full blast with the business and put a label to her product in 1996. Thus, GT was officially born, and the rest was history.

By mid 2009, GT products can already be found at Watsons outlets and already have their own following — most of them surprised with the fact that GT is a Cebuano brand manufactured in Liloan, Cebu.

No celebrity endorser

Unlike most of the leading brands, GT didn’t have a celebrity endorser to promote its products nor does it need one now. GT captured its market mostly through the so-called word of mouth.

“Although we recognize the effectiveness of a celebrity endorser, our customers’ very own endorsements through word of mouth have brought us to where we are now,” Salvane says. “We also let our products speak for themselves.”

She attributes the increase of their sales mainly to the fact that their products are effective and environment-friendly because they only use herbal and natural ingredients.

“We are truly blessed and our sales keep increasing because we don’t use harmful chemicals that cause skin side effects,” Salvane claims.

GT Cosmetics has three soap variants: Papaya, Carrot, and Bleaching. The Carrot soap, both for skin whitening and anti-aging, is GT’s most popular product. GT – which, according to Salvane, means “God’s Talent” and “Good Tidings” – manufactures at least 2,000 pieces a day per soap variant to cope up with the demand. PR