Filipino Health and Wellness Brands You Should Know

Filipino Health and Wellness Brands You Should Know

The time has come for us to support and appreciate products made right in our very own backyard. The Philippines has natural resources aplenty, and several local brands have made it their mission to turn those resources into effective products that are at once globally competitive yet still within the price range of the average Filipino. Below are some of my top picks:

Honest Junk

Honest Junk proudly claims that its snack foods are the right kind of wrong. The brand was founded by a mother of 2 who also happens to be the CEO of a fitness studio, Tina Lagdameo, and entrepreneur and PR maven Celine Gabriel-Lim.

When we crave a quick snack or something to munch on while working or studying, it’s all too easy to reach for unhealthy junk food loaded with salt and cholesterol, such as potato chips or fast food fries. Honest Junk believes that everyone can live a healthy lifestyle and be happy while doing it—and that the key to happiness is not depriving yourself of snacks, but choosing them well.

Some of their bestsellers include Cheese Barks, crispy thin cheese crackers made with real cheese sourced from Malagos Farms in Mindanao; Super Gummies, which are made with real fruit juice and no added sugars; and Zooper Cookies, fun animal-shaped cookies made with coconut sugar, coconut oil, moringa or malunggay, green tea, and chia seeds. If you’ve always wanted to make better lifestyle choices but have struggled on where to even start, these snacks are a great way to ease yourself into your personal health and wellness journey.

Ilog Maria

Ilog Maria is the name of a honey bee farm located in cool Silang, Cavite, close to Tagaytay. In addition to scenic nature views and blessed weather, the farm also produces honey and honey bee-related natural and organic products, from honey cider vinegar to milk soap made with honey beeswax, propolis, and fresh buffalo milk.

Owned by Joel Magsaysay and his family, the farm was named in honor of the Virgin Mary whom they believe has blessed the location and thus has caused the business to flourish and thrive. Aside from their bestselling local organic honey, their honey glycerin face soap stock also moves rather quickly, thanks to the natural antibacterial properties of honey that’s been known to fight acne. They also offer several body products such as lotions, bath gels, salts, massage oils and shampoos.

In Her Element

In Her Element is a locally-made skincare brand with some serious beauty clout backing it. Created by Liz Lanuzo of Project Vanity, a well-respected online beauty resource, the brand believes in using naturally-derived botanical ingredients to create simple skincare that works for the busy, upwardly mobile, modern Filipina woman.

Its Rose Gel Serum Moisturizer is a multi-performer that offers all the benefits of a serum and combines it with a deeply moisturizing ultra-light gel base that absorbs quickly, so it never has the chance to feel sticky on the skin. In Her Element is also proudly cruelty-free and boasts that their products contain no fillers, which means you get exactly what you’re paying for.

Figures of Beans

Coffee isn’t merely a hit of caffeine in the morning to help jolt the senses into full wakefulness. For some people, drinking it is essential to brain function and keeps them sane throughout the course of a long work day. Two coffee-loving friends sought a better, healthier, more eco-conscious alternative to mass-produced instant coffee and came up with Figures of Beans— expertly prepared premium coffee that is both responsibly grown and roasted with care and skill.

KC Boter and Karen de Guzman source their beans from the Cordillera region, which is a major producer of international quality coffee beans. They bring these very blends to you now at a more accessible price. Switching to Figures of Beans for your morning brew helps out the local coffee industry and helps you stay green. The beans are grown in a sustainable environment that minimizes the damage done to Mother Earth. Those who enjoy their coffee dark will love the Sagada dark roast called Irony, while those who enjoy a mild sweetness in their mugs will find delight in caramel-flavored Metaphor.

Look for these brands the next time you go shopping and you’re sure to find a variety of high quality health and wellness products that are all Filipino.