After wrapping up her series Forever Young in 2025, celebrity mom Nadine Samonte shared with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) that she has been busy with her scent business.
The Kapuso actress talked about her latest venture during an exclusive interview with PEP at the grand opening of POP MART’s second permanent store in the Philippines at SM Aura Premier in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), on January 16, 2026.
"Actually, I recently launched my pet business," Nadine proudly said.
Read: Celebrities spotted at the grand opening of POP MART in SM Aura
She officially launched her scent brand, Casa Artesana, in November 2025.
She started with room sprays and hand soaps and is now expanding her product offerings to include diffusers and perfumes.
Nadine said: "Una, inumpisa ko siya sa room spray and hand soap. Pero lahat ng scent na room spray and hand soap are coming from France.
"So lahat ng gusto mong perfume na scent, they can do it for you.
"So like yung hand soap and room spray ko, ang pinaka-best seller niya now is yung floral. My floral scent is the Peony Blush ni Jo Malone. E, sobrang favorite ko siya.
"So yun yung ginagawa ko. Tapos ngayon, upcoming yung diffusers and perfumes. So yung mga perfumes we're doing like mga, hindi siya imitation, pero parang inspired."
NADINE SAMONTE: STARTING CASA ARTESANA
When asked what inspired her to start a scent business, Nadine shared that she has always loved collecting perfumes since she was young.
"I just love perfumes. Nung bata ko, I always collect perfumes."
Putting up her own scent business took shape when a friend encouraged her to create her own brand.
By mid-2025, she began deepening her knowledge about fragrances and learning how hand soaps and room sprays are made.
Nadine recalled: "May nakilala akong sabi niya, 'Why don't you do your own perfumes?' Sabi ko, 'How?'
"Sabi niya, 'You just have to enroll one day, tapos you just have to mix everything on your own.' Sabi ko, 'Puwede pala iyon.'
"So nag-try ako, nag-aral ako for a day. Tapos, yung mga scents, it's all coming from France, sobrang mabango.
"Tapos na-test ko siya, na parang, 'Okay, I'm not gonna buy so much, sobrang mahal na perfume, 'cause I can do it on my own, e.'
"So parang ganun. Kahit anong gusto mong scent meron e. So parang yun yung, doon ako nagkaroon ng interest."
Nadine said her first batches of room sprays and hand soaps were sold at their neighborhood bazaar—even without labels at first.
When those initial products quickly sold out, it motivated her to pursue the project more seriously.
"I started selling it, pero walang brand, walang any stickers. Just the bottle and the scent.
"Binenta ko siya sa neighborhood lang namin, like meron kaming bazaar, Christmas bazaar. Sold na ko siya.
"So parang gustung-gusto nila. Bangung-bango sila and they are so surprised kung bakit ang mura ko binebenta.
"Sabi ko, 'Mura lang naman talaga, e!' Alam mo iyon? You're just paying for the brand, for the name."
NADINE SAMONTE: LEARNING EXPERIENCE
If there’s one piece of advice Nadine wants to share with first-time business owners like her, it’s the importance of truly studying the business you want to pursue.
She explained: "Nag-aral muna ako. Siyempre, you have to know muna, e, kung ano yung product mo and you have to, kailangan mo muna ang pag-aralan, kung kikita ba siya or what.
"Kailangan lahat, e, unti-unti [pinag-aaralan]. So this Christmas, yun ang ginawa kong project at yun ang time na ni-launch ko siya.
"Perfect for Christmas, giving gifts and everything."
Nadine added that patience is also an important trait to develop.
She stressed that building and succeeding in a business doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a continuous learning process.
"Be patient, always, always. Kailangan, lahat ng bagay hindi puwedeng madaliin. Kailangan mong pag-aralan. It takes time. It really takes time.
"And just enjoy. Akong kasi, I believe na if you're enjoying what you're doing, enjoy ka, happy ka sa ginagawa mo, everything will fall into place."
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