Personal care firm’s sales rise 15% to billion

Splash Corporation, the leading homegrown player in personal care, boosted its sales by 15 percent to R1.14 billion in the first quarter of 2018 from the R987.5 million generated in the same period last year.

In a statement, the firm said the growth was led by personal care products sales in the Philippines which grew by 23 percent.

“The rise in Philippine sales of personal care products despite a challenging economic environment of high inflation validates our long-term strategy of offering Filipino consumers quality personal care products perfectly attuned to their lifestyles and budgets,” said Splash Co-Founder and Chief Executive Dr. Rolando B. Hortaleza.

The robust surge in Philippines sales came mostly from Splash’s class-leading personal care products in the skin whitening, skin exfoliant, and specialty hair products segments.

SkinWhite, Splash’s premium line of skin whiteners, recorded a 42 percent rise in sales after intensified marketing efforts including a nationwide buy-one-take one promotion.

Splash’s flagship exfoliant product Maxi-Peel Zero continued to grow strongly, registering a 54 percent increase over last year.

Vitress, Splash’s brand of specialty hair products, grew robustly at 58 percent with the introduction of its newest innovation, Vitress Hair Freshener.

Hygienix, Splash’s first foray into anti-bacterial products, confirms Splash’s strategy of sector expansion by growing at 62 percent over the same period last year.

There were decreases in sales of direct sales and the foods business in the Philippines as well as declines in sales in personal care and food in international operations.

Splash expects to reverse the decreases in sales of its personal care products in international markets by year-end. It expects stronger sales in Nigeria, another large international market.

Its skin lightening line Extract with active ingredients based on kalamansi and papaya has shown intensified growth in recent years, taking advantage of the Nigerian consumers’ affinity for natural products.