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If there’s one thing about Bretman Rock, it’s that, despite having actively distanced himself from the online beauty community, he’s always going to have his finger on the pulse of all things makeup, hair, and these days especially skin care. The social media personality recently teamed up with Pili Ani, a sustainable and cruelty-free skin care brand based in the Philippines, in an effort to bring more P-beauty representation within the beauty space. “When we heard about Bretman Rock and the beauty content he was creating, we immediately felt that he was making a huge difference in representing the country in the beauty space,” Pili Ani co-founder Mary Jane Tan-Ong shared in a press release.
Bretman and Pili Ani have created a beauty routine using products like the Deep Detox Volcanic Exfoliating Mask, which is formulated with harvested ash from Mt. Mayon, the Philippines' most active volcano, and aims to hydrate and balance the skin’s natural glow while pulling out toxins. He also uses the brand’s plant-based Purifying Toner, formulated with Elemi Oil which helps to balance and cleanse the skin.
We recently caught up with Bretman Rock to chat more about his collaboration with Pili Ani, his skin care routine and secrets, and Filipino representation.
Teen Vogue: Congratulations on your collaboration with Pili Ani. How did it come about?
Bretman Rock: As [with] most influencers these days, we discover the brands based on PR. So, I received a PR box from Pili Ani. It was in this woven box, and I could have sworn in my head, I thought it was a Hawaiian brand. So, not that that matters, but it was just giving Hawaiian because of the volcano. I didn't put two and two together that it was the Mayon volcano until later on when the brand actually was really interested in meeting me. We got online, and it was a Filipino woman that answered the call. The whole time, I was just in awe of their story, because Filipinos, we don't really have a foot in the skin care world, so it was kind of cool to see my people and ingredients that are native to the Philippines be [at] the forefront of their skin care. I thought it was just such a cool story.
TV: That's so true. You don't really see a lot of skin care brands that are within the Filipino community, so I think that's amazing that you were able to collaborate on this.
BR: Especially with the boom with Korean beauty [and] skin care. I also went to Sweden, and I found out that there was Scandinavian skin care we obviously have U.S. skin care, [but] it's just so cool to say Filipino skin care. I think that just has such a cute ring to it.
TV: I saw that you recently went back to the Philippines and were there for the launch of Pili Ani’s flagship store at Mitsukoshi BGC. What was that experience like?
BR: Oh my gosh, that was so fun. I honestly felt like Beyoncé. That was the second time ever that I ever cut the ribbon for a store. But that was just so funny because it was a new mall that we were in, and I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, who is even in here?’ I thought it was going to be a small group of people. No, girl. We had a whole crowd cheering us on. We did press during the whole entire thing, and I finally saw Mary Jane in person. It was just so lovely.
There's nothing like opening up a store, but also being surrounded by so many Brown people who just believe in this brand. It kind of made me feel like I want to open a store here one day and just… I don't know; I want to bring something home. It made me feel like I needed to bring something home because that feeling was so fun.
TV: I love that. That's so important, especially in the beauty industry, because there's always room for improvement with representation. What does Filipino representation mean to you?
BR: Filipino representation means my whole entire identity to me. I don't think I could ever walk this earth without being Filipino, honestly. When people say things like, ‘Oh, you chose to be gay.’ I didn't choose to be gay. I also didn't choose to be Filipino, but get this, if I was given the chance to choose my [identity], I would probably be gay and Filipino all over the f*ck again, because there's nothing like being gay and Filipino. And I just feel just being gay and Filipino, we have our own subculture where it's like pageants are my football, and I love pop queens and just… I don't know. There's just something about being gay and Filipino, which is what I would identify with the most, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
TV: Do you have any favorite must-haves from Pili Ani that you would recommend?
BR: I would never shut the f*ck up about the detox mask. Girl, that truly has saved all of my travel scares, honestly, because what I hate [about] traveling is there's no air like the Hawaiian air, girl. My skin just thrives here. And literally, when I get in planes and land anywhere, I just break out. I think Pili Ani helped me with that because, before flights, I would use the detox mask to just get rid of everything. It has truly helped me deal with clogs and pores when I'm entering a new place. So that's one of my favorites.
Another favorite of mine is that they have a lot of oils. My favorite one is the Self-care Night Recovery Oil. It's funny because I used to be so scared of oils because I'm already an oily girl, and honestly, a lot of oils break me out. But that one specifically is the only thing I use at night. I don't pile anything on top of it because everything is in there. So I would say the night oil is also one of my favorites.
TV: Is there anything that you're excited about specifically for consumers to try out from Pili Ani?
BR: Oh, gosh. I do not want to say much, because, yes, I am so excited for more products with Pili Ani, and without spoiling anything, I can't wait for them to expand the ingredients of Pili Ani and the magic of the Pili oil. Let's just say that. I can't wait for them to unlock everything that you could do with Pili oil.
TV: Do you have a skin care tip that you absolutely swear by?
BR: Yes, and it doesn't include any product at all. It's literally because I was watching a lot of old-school Hollywood interviews. I got into a deep hole on YouTube. I was watching vintage ads of beauty brands. Yeah, girl, you know I love beauty. And one of the old Hollywood secrets that Joan Crawford, for example, used to do is that she slept like a vampire, girl. Hollywood women slept with their face up, no moving or anything. And so my beauty secret is to get yourself a night pillow, or a neck pillow that'll make you stay up. Because I'm a face sleeper and I used to break out so much and don't come for me, I change my sheets, I promise, but I still break out because my face is just shoved in cotton the whole night.
Ever since, I've been practicing sleeping face up — and I mean practicing because I'm not a master yet. I don't know if you all watched my story the other day, I have a stiff neck because I was sleeping with my side again. But I digress. Every time I sleep with my face up with my neck pillow, girl, I swear to God, my face just glows in the morning. I literally see the difference so much. And one of the biggest differences is the fact that I don't wake up with those [sleep] lines on [my] face.
TV: Can you share more about what you do in your daily skin care routine?
BR: Yes. So one of the coolest things that I've been doing, I'm not that cool honestly when it comes to skin care, but I have been making my own garden essence. And I call it garden essence because I feel like anybody could do it. I have this Kangen water, it’s just this water filter. I learned this with my grandma because she was an herbalist growing up. So I make my own garden toners or garden essence, and I just use flowers for my garden. I boil it with the beauty water for my Kangen water, and I put it in a spray. I use that every morning, or whenever I am feeling dry. I leave it in my freezer. So that has been good.
But one of the other biggest things is, girl, this generation, we are not using sunscreen. Sunscreen has been life-changing for me. And as an island kid — trust me — I never wore sunscreen growing up. I feel like every Pacific Islander kid knows what I'm talking about. I was the type [of kid that] if my cousins were spraying sunscreen, I was running, because I hated the [sticky feeling]. And then I found Korean beauty sunscreen thanks to TikTok. And that has truly just changed my skin care game. I just look so dewy. I think it's just all about finding the right sunscreen for you because, girl, not everyone is for the white cast look. So, yeah, I would say those have been my daily beauty skin care things. It's just sunscreen and my garden essence.
TV: Do you have any future projects that we can look forward to seeing from you soon?
BR: Oh, gosh. I feel like something is always up with Bretman Rock. I think it's not even projects that people are curious about; it's really what is my next hobby? What's after chickens, Bretman? Come on. So I think... I don't know. I think what is not next for me? If anything, something that I always say, and I said this in my last Teen Vogue cover actually, is that Bretman Rock is so sick and tired of being on the phone. I need a bigger screen. Yeah, I think I just need to find a bigger screen for Bretman Rock, and that's all I shall say.
Want more like this from Teen Vogue? Check these stories out:
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