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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Dream big': Check out the inspiring story of the first Filipino skincare brand to be honored with the Global Islamic Economy Champion Award

'Dream big': Check out the inspiring story of the first Filipino skincare brand to be honored with the Global Islamic Economy Champion Award

Published Mar 10, 2024 06:18 am

At A Glance

  • The first Filipino company in the skincare industry recognized with the Global Islamic Economy Champion Award in Dubai.

Henry and Apple Raca turned their dreams into a lot of hard work when they established the C and H Cosmetic Industry.

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(Henry and Apple Raca with Prime Group stakeholders during the event on Feb. 22 / Photo courtesy of Prime Group)

It is a Lipa City-based company that has brought honor to the country by receiving the Global Islamic Economy Champion Award in Dubai from Prime Group.

Last Feb. 22, the C and H Cosmetic Industry received an award for being the first Filipino company in the skincare industry to successfully meet all Health Municipal Standards and have their products available in all markets in the United Arab Emirates.

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Henry and Apple Raca, owners of the C and H Cosmetic Industry

In an exclusive interview with the Manila Bulletin, the couple behind C and H Cosmetic Industry shared their inspiring journey.

Life as they say is full of surprises. Henry said he never imagined that he would go from janitor and sales agent to running a globally recognized cosmetics company.

On the other hand, Apple lived quite well though she suddenly took over her life because of the failure of their family business that forced her to take charge of her own destiny.

As a couple, they dreamt big and with just P5,000–a fraction of their wedding cash gifts, they started the company in 2014 after learning the Department of Science and Technology 's SETUP.

The SETUP is one of the flagship programs of DOST—it is the agency’s nationwide strategy to encourage and assist micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to adopt technological innovations to improve their operations and thus boost their productivity and competitiveness.

Henry and Apple were not satisfied with just being ordinary, their passion for skincare fueled their research and development.

They said their passion for this field gave birth to the idea of their trademark “Kereina White Formula”, made of natural ingredients obtained from plants to produce its soaps.

This formula does not only benefit the users but also empowers more than 5,000 coconut farmers who supply them with essential oils.

Through the leadership of the Raca couple, they came up with the strategic plans the company has developed, they spun off three more companies dedicated to local, export, and online marketing distributions of their products that safeguarded their sustainability.

Local, int’l recognitions

Henry and Apple also highlighted that they are proud of local and international recognition over the years.

Throughout their journey, they were the first Filipino Cosmetic Company with HALAL Compliant Manufacturing Plant certified by UAE; and the first Filipino Cosmetic Company with HALAL Certification in the Middle East given by Prime Certification Accreditation.

The company, likewise, received Canadian Health Accreditation in Cosmetics and Skincare, the Best Innovative Product Award in South Luzon during the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Gawad SME and 2020 InJap Sia Outstanding Young Entrepreneur Awards Finalist.

In 2021, DOST-Calabarzon named their company as its Best Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) Adoptor.

Currently, they have also co-established an Extension Office in Azusa, California, US where their products are distributed to 40 states in America.

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DOST-CALABARZON Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
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