Founding
I started Pilibee In Fairfax Virginia, as a small white stall in June 2025.
It began as a hobby that quickly evolved as a way for me to expand on new skills while taking care of my families skincare needs.
About Me
Growing up I used Cocoa and Shea Butter all the time, unfortunately I had a bad reaction to a version I purchased at a store in 2020, I could not figure out why my skin suddenly started reacting negatively to a product I had used for so long, so I started buying my own butters and oils to mix my own. This lead me to form a clean skincare brand.
What drove me
I’m the kind of person who asks a lot of questions and genuinely enjoys figuring things out.
By day, I work as an Instructional Designer, helping leaders and teams turn complex ideas into clear, meaningful learning. One day, I was asked a simple question: how do you define a skill in a way that actually makes sense?
That question stuck with me, and I decided to explore it the best way I know how, by doing.
This led me to soapmaking, then further into developing skincare, before I knew it, I was deep in research, formulations, and conversations with friends and family ho wanted to know more.
Tackling Dry Skin
Introduced to Pili Oil
Light weight and moisturizing, full of vitamin A & E , I was convinced of the benefits of Pili Oil in 2023.
Pili Oil Comes from the volcanically nourished soil of Bicol, Philippines.
Pili oil is extracted from the pulp of the pili fruit, and the pili fruit comes from the pili tree.
Extracting Pili Oil
Harvasted Pili Nuts
After harvesting, farmers in the Philippines soak Pili Nut husks in water for at least 3 days to soften the pulp and extract its oil.
Composition of Pili Nut
After Pili Nuts are soaked, and the pulp removed, the nuts are set aside and the pulp is hand squeezed in the water to extract its oils.
Extracting Pili Nut
This water is left to rest for hours and the top layer of oil scooped off and then boiled to evaporate remaining water content before bottling.
