This Filipino Brand is Celebrating Its Legacy With Art

In a sea of beauty soaps, Kojie.san has found a way to make a name for itself as a well-loved skincare brand among the Filipinos. Now, years after introducing kojic acid to the beauty and personal care landscape, the brand cements its legacy with contemporary art.

On its 15th anniversary, Kojie.san has partnered with a renowned Filipino visual artist and sculptor to produce dynamic installations that best represent the brand’s turbulent but fruitful journey. The thoughtfully curated pieces were then displayed at one of the manufacturing plants of BEVi Group—the company behind Kojie.san—in Alaminos, Laguna, which, as anyone who has been there can attest, looks and feels like a gallery or museum.

Okurimono (or “Gift” in Japanese) is a larger-than-life, multi-piece installation of black and red metal. The pieces, which resemble crumpled paper, are arranged to appear like a huge explosion.

Hanging next to it is Red Moon, a Zen-like red metal circle. Independent of each other, they are intriguing and impactful. Viewed together, they deliver a complementary visual of chaos meets calm.

Beyond gracing Kojie.san’s expansive lobby, the sculptures were crafted to honor the brand on its milestone. “The brand has given so much to people,” shares founder and CEO Jazz Burila. “I thought it was time to give something back.”

Together, Okurimono and Red Moon embody the beauty brand’s story that began in 2006 when it entered the overcrowded scene of skin whitening products.Kojie.san, with its lone offering at the time, a bar of soap, was the first to introduce the then unheard of kojic acid. Commonly prescribed by dermatologists for its efficacy, kojic acid helps lighten the skin, gently erasing age spots, scars, and sun damage.

Kojie.san has since then expanded its line of personal care products so that women and men can enjoy the complete grooming experience they very much deserve. From its iconic skin-lightening soap, it now offers facial and body wash, toners, face creams, deodorants, sunblock, and wipes.

What’s more, the brand continues to encourage others to do as it does: embrace their unique identity through empowering campaigns and catchphrases like “command beauty,” “take control,” and “own your look.”

With all the battles won and milestones achieved, the artist envisions the sculptures to become the brand’s memoir, each chapter articulated in every metal edge and curve. Okurimono and Red Moon, after all, are stunning reminders of the beauty that emerges despite the odds; of the importance of committing to who you are and what you believe in—all of which encompasses the qualities that make Kojie.san the thriving brand it is today.

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