A love story that began with a nut
The story of Pili Ani begins with the pili nut.
This oblong-shaped fruit of the pili tree, native to the Philippines and growing mainly in the Bicol region, is a botanical powerhouse loaded with essential fatty acids, protein, and antioxidants.
The story continues because of a simple gesture of kindness.
Rosalina Tan, an advocate of organic farming, purchased a bottle of pili oil from a farmer named Noli so that he would have enough money to go home. Experimenting with the oil in handmade beauty products, she was delighted to find that her friends loved them.
Pili Ani is as much passion as it is business for Rosalina and her daughter, Mary Jane Tan-Ong. It is a product of how much they care for each other, as much as it is of their desire to share the benefits of the precious oils of the pili nut and tree sap, the latter known as elemi.
Launched in 2016, Pili Ani carries pili and elemi oil-infused cleansers, moisturizers, body elixirs, hair serums, body butters, hydrating mists, lipsticks, alco-sanitizers, and so much more through its boutiques and website. These are also exported to the United States.
The Pili Ani line is designed to meet five needs of Philippine wellness.
Skin Rituals focuses on mindful daily skin care with cleansing, hydration, nourishment, and restoration through the use of Philippine botanicals.
Beauty Rituals includes products that enhance rather than conceal, such as the lipsticks, which can also be used on the cheeks and eyelids.
Hair Rituals carries items for a healthy scalp, but also those to be applied directly onto the hair to strengthen and protect it.
Body Rituals has cleaning and moisturizing products enhanced with natural scents that relax or invigorate as needed so that every bath becomes a moment of renewal.
Wellness Rituals carries items for different needs at different times of the day, from the time you get up to applying insect repellents to spraying scents that destress.
The next chapter in this story takes Pili Ani to a whole new level, with the recent launch of Pili Ani Lifestyle Spa at the Greenhills Mall. Apart from carrying the full range of products, the spa treatments bring the five pillars of wellness to completion. Guests can now experience the full benefits of the pili and elemi oils through rituals that combine nurturing and restoration through the mindful touch of their highly trained staff. These rituals allow guests to slow down and reconnect with themselves while enjoying world-class beauty products combined with the unique Filipino hospitality.
At the spa, the gua sha ritual makes use of an implement developed from ancient times in China. Used with Pili Ani’s Ageless Concentrate, it gently massages the skin to reduce puffiness and enhance circulation. Guests have the choice to have this 10-minute ritual lying down or facing a mirror, the latter so that one can learn to replicate the treatments with the gua sha at home.
There will also be a deep hair treatment available soon, but for now guests can enjoy a 10-minute blow dry where anti-frizz and pollution sprays, and refreshing fragrance mists with UV are applied so that the styling, using Dyson blow dryers, is both a treatment and beautifying experience.
Care goes into every aspect of Pili Ani.
As Mary Jane explains, “To give just one example, our body elixir took three years to develop because my R&D team is very picky. They want to make sure that when we bring out something, it’s the best, and it’s good.”
Ultimately, the story of Pili Ani is a love story.
Rosalina says, “The whole pili tree is a tree of life, a tree of love, a tree of hope. I say tree of love because when you plant the shell, and it germinates, it cracks and takes the shape of a heart.
“Another love story is that with my daughter because I was just buying the oil from the farmers and she said, ‘Mommy, you cannot help the farmers that way; you have to make it into a business if you want to help them.’” Mary Jane then helped her mother set up the business.
Pili Ani is about a daughter’s unwavering love and devotion to her mother. As a result of that love, the third generation of the family is eager to become part of Pili Ani.
And in the end, the story goes back to the pili nut, the humble fruit of a tree that now provides beauty and wellness while sustaining the farmers who care for it.
