“Filipino hair is just like us Filipinos; it’s very resilient,” says drag performer Arizona Brandy at the Allure Beauty Congress. In a single line, she sums up the spirit of the event’s final Allure Conversation, Strand by Strand: The Science and Secrets of Filipino Hair, a panel that treats hair not just as an aesthetic concern, but as a reflection of identity, habit, and heritage.

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Moderator and beauty content creator Belle Rodolfo frames the talk as an exploration of “what truly makes Filipino hair distinct, from its structure and science, to the story it tells about our identity.” Onstage with her, the Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale finalist brings the perspective of a performer, while Unilever product development R&D Anna Tongco speaks from years in the lab and in product development.

Tongco explains that Filipino hair is inherently diverse. “The Philippines, being an archipelago, has a lot of different hair ancestries,” says Tongco. “It’s not just fixed straight with what you get from East Asian hair. It’s not tightly curly like you get from Austronesian hair. It’s a blend of both.” She also notes that because of our geographic location, Filipinos also have the highest hair washing frequency in Asia. Pairing humidity with frequent cleansing and constant styling, she explains, is a combination that could push hair to its limits.

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Arizona Brandy echoes this from experience. For performers like her—who go through 35 hairstyles a week—her hair undergoes constant stress, heat, and transformation. In Tongco’s point-of-view, this cycle of casual styling, color changes, and climate can make one demand for products that restore hydration and strengthen hair from within.

As Tongco notes, the science is shifting. “We are seeing now that there are more innovations, more breakthrough technologies that if you can fix it on the inside of the hair, it actually influences how it looks, even on the outside,” she explains. 

Internal repair and scalp health, she adds, are becoming some of the most exciting frontiers in Filipino haircare: “For Filipino hair specifically, I think one of the more exciting spaces that’s growing now is actually the work on scalp health. Because [the] scalp is the foundation of our hair,” Tongco says.

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For three days at the Allure Beauty Congress, Cream Silk brings these ideas into practice. Through its booth, guests are immersed in the brand’s tech through its AI-powered hair analyzer, a device that scans each person’s unique hair condition, from dryness and frizz to lack of volume, and recommends targeted solutions including the Cream Silk Hydration and Volume Salon Renewal Mask. Developed by Tongco and her team, it is designed to hydrate from within, support styling recovery, and adapt to the diverse profiles of Filipino hair highlighted in the panel.

Speaking about its development, Tongco shares, “I think the things that I liked the most [about] developing the Renewal Mask is making the texture fun.” She also notes: “We’ve made textures that are very light and bouncy.” To which Rodolfo responds, “Yes, I agree. It feels jelly-like.”

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According to the brand, this unique texture of the Salon Renewal Mask is powered by the CoolQuench 60M Process, a new mixing process that delivers a distinct hydrating look and feel throughout the application and rinsing states of hair treatment. The mask itself is also formulated with Hya-Silk Volume Complex: a blend of hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed silk, glycerin, and other potent repair ingredients. This complex is designed to replenish lost moisture, strengthen the hair fiber against breakage, and address existing damage while still keeping hair lightweight and volumized.

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Beyond hydration and repair, representation was also a recurring theme. “Before, puro straight hair lang sa TV. And now, parang iba’t-ibang types of hair, which I love,” Arizona Brandy says, recognizing the visibility of more textures and styles. Tongco connects this shift to how beauty is communicated today: “We’re at a place where videos are a way to communicate desirability. So, the way that hair moves is just as important as the photographs.”

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After the panel, the event shifted to another celebration with the reveal of Nadine Lustre as the cover star of the magazine’s Volume 3 and Truth Issue. The brand shares that her presence feels doubly resonant, as she also leads Cream Silk’s Volume Up campaign, a role that mirrors the celebration of strength and movement in Filipino hair showcased at the Allure Beauty Congress.

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For more information, follow Cream Silk Philippines on Instagram.