Thanks to my social media feeds, with medical practitioner-influencers explaining gut health, I’ve long been interested in it. It is also partly because I’ve come to realize just how much our everyday choices (from what we eat and drink to how we live) can affect how we look and feel. Like many people, I’ve tried different ways of being more intentional about my wellness, but I’ve also learned that the products I actually stick with are the ones that fit naturally into my routine. So when GUTTA GLOW launched on TikTok, I was curious enough to try it right away.
And I have to say, it lives up to one of its biggest promises — it actually tastes good. In a category where “healthy” can sometimes mean sacrificing flavor, GUTTA GLOW takes a different approach, pairing familiar drinks with functional ingredients in a way that makes wellness feel much less like a chore. That simple idea leads to the story behind a new Filipino wellness brand created by four entrepreneurs coming from very different worlds.
From television and entertainment to fitness, lifestyle, hospitality and real estate, four Filipino entrepreneurs are bringing their collective experience and a touch of star power to the health and wellness industry with the launch of GUTTA GLOW.
The brand was founded by former TV5 co-anchor, commercial model and entrepreneur Marga Arenas Vargas; entertainment journalist and television host MJ Marfori; executive and reality show winner JR Marfori; and young businessman and luxury real estate broker Mikee Arenas.
While their professional backgrounds may be different, the founders found common ground in a shared goal of creating wellness products that people would genuinely enjoy consuming and could easily incorporate into their everyday routines.
GUTTA GLOW is the result of more than a year of development, with the founders working alongside industry experts to formulate and refine the products before bringing them to market.
“We didn’t want to create something just because wellness is trending. We wanted to create something that we would actually want to drink and make part of our own daily routine,” Vargas shared.
For her, GUTTA GLOW is also a personal project, one that involved learning about the category, testing ideas and taking the time to develop products the founders themselves could stand behind.
For Marfori, meanwhile, the venture represents an opportunity to step into a different kind of storytelling.
“I’m used to telling other people’s stories, but this time, the four of us are building our own,” she said.
At the heart of the brand is an uncomplicated proposition — that is wellness doesn’t have to be intimidating, restrictive, or boring.
WELLNESS IN A CUP
GUTTA GLOW’s initial lineup brings functional ingredients into three familiar drink formats — Honey Lemon Iced Tea, French Vanilla Coffee, and Spanish Latte.
The formulations vary by product and include ingredients such as inulin, green tea extract, green coffee extract, L-carnitine, garcinia cambogia, berberine extract, IMMUSE® LP20, hydrolyzed collagen, reduced L-glutathione, skim milk, whey protein and stevia extracts.
Instead of asking consumers to overhaul their lifestyles, the brand takes a more accessible approach by incorporating functional ingredients into drinks that already form part of many Filipinos’ daily routines. That, in many ways, is what makes the concept interesting. You don’t necessarily have to think of it as another item on an already long wellness checklist—it can simply be the drink you reach for during a busy morning, an afternoon break or a coffee run.
And as someone who has always been interested in gut health, I appreciate that the conversation around wellness is increasingly moving beyond simply counting calories or chasing a particular body type. There is growing interest in how we feel from the inside out, including digestion, energy, immunity and overall well-being.
QUALITY AND ACCESSIBILITY
GUTTA GLOW also enters the market with an emphasis on quality and accessibility. The brand says its products are FDA-approved and Halal-certified and has also received recognition from Superbrands Philippines.
For the founders, however, the drinks are intended to be more than a one-off product launch. They see GUTTA GLOW as the starting point for a wider wellness platform that can eventually grow beyond its initial selection of beverages.
The products are available through Shopee, Facebook and TikTok Shop, with reseller and distributor opportunities as the brand expands its presence.
The official launch was held on September 16 at Palm Grove & Garden at The Rockwell Club, bringing together members of the media, content creators, partners, friends and guests for a coffee-rave-inspired celebration.
For JR Marfori, the bigger message behind the brand is about making small, manageable choices rather than demanding an immediate lifestyle transformation.
“We’re not trying to tell people to completely change their lives overnight,” he says. “Sometimes, leveling up starts with something as simple as what you choose to drink.”
That may be one of the most appealing ideas behind GUTTA GLOW. In a wellness market filled with complicated routines and products that can feel intimidating, sometimes making a better choice can start with something as simple and enjoyable as your next drink.
For more information and updates, follow GUTTA GLOW (@guttaglowofficial) on its official social media platforms.
