Noah Solutions Is the Filipino Skincare Brand Bouncing Back from the Pandemic Crisis

Ralph Oliver Layco is the founder of Noah Solutions

Ralph Layco’s way of bouncing back

Noah Solutions is the brainchild of Ralph Layco—an award-winning entrepreneur from General Santos City, who has been in the game for quite some time. He has since established Sonny & Marsha Holdings Inc. which manages several brands including Macho Mucho Salon, a chain of barbershops in Davao, and a pop-up school for entrepreneurs called New Bold U.

Layco’s businesses were doing well until the pandemic struck the country in 2020 and forced the government to restrict mobility and he was forced to let go of several of his barbershops.

“I was initially scratching my own itch when I was thinking of a way for us to get back on the horse as our current businesses were affected by the pandemic. Our revenue fell by about 70 percent. It was my responsibility to bounce back,” he admits. “I said, ‘OK when I start a brand, I want to create one that I would love to build.’ And that was skincare.”

This idea was further reinforced by the rise of social platforms like TikTok, where young Gen-Z and millennial males were becoming more vocal about their desire to explore skincare. More than this, he was also keen to solve a problem that he personally experienced in his teenage years: oily skin and breakouts—claiming that 80 percent of men are prone to these conditions too.

Layco also looked at the DTC or direct-to-consumer model which sells products directly to the consumer, skipping the wholesaler, retailer, or middlemen in the process, making it less third-party dependent. He says this allows for a more enriched customer experience and increased opportunity for SKUs or product offerings.

“This leads the way for more innovations, not restricted to retailer shelves. This also allows companies, like ours, to truly offer to the customers through niches with more customer service as the current marketplace is crowded by first movers and companies with bigger capitalizations,” he says.

With the company’s rapid success, Layco is intentionally innovating its products around its community’s growing needs and aligning decisions with its purpose. “I think we can do a better job by understanding what men are going through nowadays. We are surprised because, as we continue this self-care journey, men are becoming more open. They ask about active ingredients and understand what types are added to products. They also want to know how they can expand their routine,” he said. “We’re about helping men be more educated and empowered. We want to guide them as they go through transitions in life.”

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That said, the founder believes that empathy is the key when it comes to building trust with his community.

“What we did differently from other brands is that, with every product we launched, we have a note that gives them an introduction. It tells them what the product is, what it does, and how to use it. We let them know that we care,” he shared. Moreover, Layco highlights that constantly improving customer experience is of utmost priority.

This, however, is only the beginning. “That’s why we’re called Noah Solutions—we create solutions,” he insists. In addition to skincare, the brand is currently venturing into other products like haircare and nutraceuticals to address more problems commonly endured by men.

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