MANILA, Philippines — After building one of the Philippines’ best-known personal-care businesses and eventually selling Splash Corp., entrepreneur and physician Dr. Rolan B. Hortaleza is entering what may be one of the most interesting chapters of his career—not by stepping completely away from business, but by changing his role in it.
At 67, Hortaleza describes himself as somewhere between active entrepreneur and semi-retiree. He says completely dropping everything would simply be “boring,” even as the day-to-day responsibilities of his business empire have increasingly shifted to his sons.
His story is particularly striking because the man behind Splash did not originally set out to become a consumer-goods magnate.
He trained as a medical doctor, but his experience growing up around the family’s Hortaleza Vaciador business eventually pushed him toward entrepreneurship. From selling simple beauty products, Hortaleza went on to build Splash into a major Philippine personal-care company.
From a small operation to the Splash empire
Hortaleza’s entrepreneurial journey began with relatively simple products.
He started with acetone and later hairspray, initially selling products under the RBH Cosmetics name. His exposure to the beauty industry gave him an opportunity to identify everyday consumer needs—and eventually build products around them.
That approach ultimately produced some of the country’s most recognizable personal-care brands.
Hortaleza is credited with helping popularize whitening products and creating the exfoliant category through products associated with brands such as SkinWhite, Extraderm and Maxi-Peel.
The company eventually went public through a ₱2-billion initial public offering, as Hortaleza sought additional capital to expand the business.
His success was not limited to the domestic market. Earlier reporting from the Philippine Daily Inquirer documented Splash’s push into international markets and its expansion beyond personal care.
The multibillion-peso exit
One of the biggest turning points came in 2019, when India’s Wipro Consumer Care acquired the Ang-Hortaleza family’s stake in Splash’s personal-care business.
The transaction was widely reported as a major Philippine consumer-business deal, with reports putting its value in the ₱9 billion to ₱11 billion range.
Rather than simply disappearing from the business world after the sale, Hortaleza redirected his attention toward other ventures.
That included Prime Global Corp., which operates in food manufacturing, and Prime Global Finance Corp., which focuses on financing.
Barrio Fiesta becomes part of the bigger picture
Hortaleza subsequently focused on the Barrio Fiesta food business, which the family acquired in 2011.
The brand, now under Prime Global, is being positioned for expansion beyond its traditional association with bagoong. Hortaleza told InsiderPH that he sees opportunities to grow the product line into other food categories while expanding geographically, including into the United States and North America.
That strategy is now being supported by a new manufacturing facility in Bulacan.
Philstar.com reported in August that Prime Global recently commissioned a ₱600-million facility capable of producing as many as 1.2 million bottles a month, roughly double the capacity of the group’s previous plant.
The additional capacity is expected to help the company address unserved orders while opening room for expansion into mixes, sauces and other condiments.
And now, Splash’s founder is returning to beauty
Perhaps the biggest twist in Hortaleza’s latest chapter is that, despite selling Splash’s personal-care business, he hasn’t completely walked away from the industry that made him famous.
InsiderPH reports that the Hortaleza Group is moving back into skincare and personal care, with the Hortaleza M.D. brand offering products such as a Skin Renewal Set focused on cleansing, resurfacing, hydration and protection.
The move is consistent with what Hortaleza’s sons recently revealed about the group’s plans.
Philstar.com reported that Alexone and Alfonso Hortaleza are leading the next generation of the family enterprise and are preparing to return to exfoliants and cosmetics. The group is also planning the return of San San cosmetics by the end of September 2026.
Alexone said the family believes its four decades of experience in personal care give it an advantage in identifying gaps in the market.
The sons take the driver’s seat
The generational transition is perhaps the most important part of Hortaleza’s next chapter.
Alexone Rolando Hortaleza is leading the family’s fast-moving consumer-goods operations through Prime Global, while Alfonso Iñigo Hortaleza heads Prime Global Finance.
The brothers are not simply inheriting an established business. They are also pursuing their own growth agenda.
Alfonso’s financial-services arm is looking at geographic expansion, including growth into Metro Manila and areas beyond major hubs such as Central Luzon and the southern Philippines. The group is also exploring a new pawn-business concept and additional lending products.
Meanwhile, the brothers are embracing technology as part of the group’s transformation, including artificial intelligence, social media and digital marketing.
A different kind of comeback
For Hortaleza, the next chapter isn’t simply about launching another product or building another company.
It is also about health, longevity and succession.
InsiderPH reports that several past health challenges—including liver fibrosis and a pancreatic cyst—forced him to reassess the pressures of running a growing enterprise. That experience eventually pushed him toward longevity-focused health practices and a more active lifestyle.
He now works out, runs and participates in fitness activities, including HYROX, alongside his sons. Philstar.com reported that the family has turned fitness into one of their bonding activities, with Alexone and Alfonso also planning to compete together in a future race.
Hortaleza has also developed a role as a mentor, sharing business lessons and advice with founders and younger executives.
The real legacy may be bigger than Splash
The Hortaleza story has now moved beyond the company name that made the family famous.
From a small beauty-products operation to Splash, from a multibillion-peso exit to food and financial services, and now back toward personal care, the family’s business strategy is entering another cycle of reinvention.
And this time, the next generation is taking the lead.
Hortaleza remains involved as chairman and CEO, but his sons are increasingly responsible for the group’s daily operations and future growth.
His message to the next generation is straightforward: maintain an aboveboard operation, practice good corporate governance and build a business based on values that can be passed down to their children and grandchildren.
The man who once turned a small beauty-products operation into Splash is now watching his sons write the next chapter—and the surprising part is that he may be returning to the very industry that started it all.
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