With a clear vision and unwavering purpose, Engr. Leonora B. Salvane transformed soap-making in her kitchen into GT Cosmetics Manufacturing Inc., now a trusted brand — gaining recognition as the Innovation Leader of the year during the 2025 Grand Chamber Awards.
The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry honored Engr. Salvane, founder and chairman of GT Cosmetics Manufacturing Inc., with the prestigious Innovation Leader of the Year award at the 2025 Grand Chamber Awards.
For Salvane, the recognition represents more than personal achievement—it’s a testament to decades of purposeful innovation, unwavering faith, and a commitment to transforming lives through entrepreneurship.
From Kitchen to Cutting-Edge Facility
Salvane’s journey to innovation leadership began in 1994 in the most unlikely of places—her home kitchen. Armed with only ₱500, a baking pan, and her chemical engineering degree from the University of San Carlos, she began producing handmade herbal soaps. With her children assisting in packaging, the family turned out roughly 50 bars each day.
“Life was hard. We were not earning enough for the family. I prayed hard for a business where I can practice my profession as a chemical engineer,” Salvane recalled. Born to a poor peasant family in Bohol, she understood struggle intimately. But she also understood chemistry, formulation, and the transformative power of natural ingredients.
Today, GT Cosmetics operates a modern Cebu facility that has earned Halal, ISO 22716 (Good Manufacturing Practice for cosmetics), Food and Drug Administration, and Halal certifications. These credentials highlight the company’s growth from small-scale production to world-class manufacturing. GT is also compliant with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources(DENR), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and the Department of Labor and Environment (DOLE).
GTCMI now has three distribution facilities and employs over 382 people nationwide. What once gave employment to some neighbors has grown into a company with far-reaching impact.
Innovation as a Way of Life
What distinguishes Salvane as an innovation leader isn’t just her company’s growth—it’s her consistent commitment to product development and market responsiveness.
From the original papaya and carrot soaps made from natural extracts, GT Cosmetics has expanded to offer a comprehensive line of skincare products including moisturizing and bleaching creams, sunblock, clarifying toner, and lotions. In 2018, the company launched an entire color cosmetics makeup line, demonstrating Salvane’s willingness to evolve with market demands.
Her chemical engineering background has been instrumental in this innovation journey.
Salvane used her technical knowledge to experiment and develop formulations that resonated with Filipino consumers, particularly focusing on natural ingredients and affordable quality. She recognized that the Cebu market was particularly discerning—convince Cebu, and you could convince other markets. Her strategy worked. GT Cosmetics products are now distributed nationwide through major retailers.
Innovation Beyond Products
Salvane’s innovation extends beyond cosmetics formulation into business model innovation and social entrepreneurship. Understanding that empowerment requires more than products, she designed GT Cosmetics’ distribution network to encourage women to become entrepreneurs themselves.
“Our products are designed to help women feel confident in their own skin. More than that, we provide opportunities for women to gain financial independence,” she explains. “Through our distribution network, we encourage women to become entrepreneurs themselves, giving them the means to build their businesses.”
This approach to business—viewing commerce as a vehicle for community transformation—led to one of her most ambitious innovations: GT Northeast Academy (GTNA). Established in 2014 with her husband Rogelio Salvane, Sr., both charismatic Couples for Christ members, the school represents an innovative approach to education focused on business, entrepreneurship, science, and technology.
The vision didn’t stop at traditional education. In April 2022, Salvane inaugurated the GTNA Recreational and Events Center, a more than ₱60 million investment that seamlessly integrates hospitality education with actual business operations. The facility features 10 hotel rooms, three swimming pools, a function hall, and the Zef’s Plate—all serving as living laboratories where students learn hotel management and hospitality operations through real-world experience.
This integration of education, entrepreneurship, and practical training represents the kind of systemic innovation that distinguishes true innovation leaders from mere product developers.
Recognition of Resilience and Vision
The Innovation Leader of the Year award joins an impressive collection of honors that recognize Salvane’s entrepreneurial excellence. Earlier in 2025, she received the Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneur Award at the Go Negosyo Women Summit on March 15, where First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque celebrated women entrepreneurs who are “breaking boundaries.”
In 2015, she was named Grand Chamber Countryside Entrepreneur of the Year by the same Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry—a recognition of her journey from countryside roots to business success. She also earned the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2015 Philippines in the Most Promising Category and the Semper Fidelis Award for Leadership from the USC Alumni Association.
But ask Salvane about the secret to her success, and she doesn’t point to awards or revenue figures. Instead, she identifies five principles: passion for excellence, hard work, humility, faith, prayers, and sharing. These values, named GT—”God’s Talent”—reflect her conviction that her abilities are gifts meant to be used for others’ benefit.
Lessons for Aspiring Innovators
Salvane’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs emphasizes taking that crucial first step. “Don’t worry about the number of competition. It’s like traffic—you will eventually get to your destination,” she counsels. “Believe in your vision and take that courageous first step.”
She stresses the importance of understanding one’s market, maintaining product quality, and building customer trust. In today’s business landscape, she emphasizes partnerships and collaborations. “If you’re developing a product, consider working with a reliable toll manufacturer like ours. It can help bring your ideas to life efficiently and effectively.”
Most importantly, she reminds entrepreneurs that challenges are inevitable but not insurmountable. “Challenges don’t define you. How you respond to them does.”
Even with three decades of success, multiple manufacturing facilities, international distribution, and numerous awards, Salvane remains focused on continued innovation. New products are in development, aligned with GT Cosmetics’ commitment to natural skincare solutions. The company is expanding partnerships with local entrepreneurs and pursuing further international expansion.
“We are working on making GT Cosmetics more accessible, not just in the Philippines but beyond,” Salvane said.
The 2025 Innovation Leader of the Year award recognizes not just what Salvane has built, but how she continues to build—with faith, humility, and an unwavering belief that true innovation serves others.
