Happy Skin releases statement on Rissa Mananquil-Trillo’s exit from the makeup brand

Happy Skin has commented on Rissa Mananquil-Trillo’s decision to leave the makeup brand after eight years.

“Though Rissa has not been working with Happy Skin since March of 2020, we will always be grateful for her contributions to the brand. We wish her well on the journey ahead of her,” the company said in a statement sent to PhilSTAR L!fe. 

“Happy Skin will, of course, continue to fulfill its mission of elevating Filipino beauty and offering world-class products.” 

Mananquil Trillo put up Happy Skin on Oct. 18, 2013 with Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez, who also owns BLK Cosmetics and Seoul White Korea.

Happy Skin has the main objective of “taking cosmetics to a whole new level of hip and happy with its promise of providing women with an entire line of makeup that cares for your skin.”

With 14 stores and 80 beauty counters across the country, it has since won over 40 awards in the beauty industry. Among its notable collaborations include Disney and Sanrio. Familiar faces like Heart Evangelista, Kris Aquino, and Kathryn Bernardo have also partnered with the brand.

The book author announced her exit from Happy Skin on its eighth anniversary on Oct. 18. "When I look back at my goals when Happy Skin started, I’ve ticked off everything on my list—to provide a solution to a problem Filipinas had been facing and empower them with skin-caring makeup, to fill the gap in the cosmetics industry with a local makeup brand that offered premium quality products at affordable prices, and to create a homegrown brand that Filipinos can be proud of," she said in an Instagram post.

"I understand during a time like this, I’m in a privileged position to walk away from something that no longer aligns with my values," she continued. However, she pointed out that "it's time we all made better choices."

"Success to me is being able to check all the boxes in that list, but also knowing when to walk away," she declared.