From Betrayal to Breakthrough:

How Myriad Was Born from Faith, Failure, and a Single Bar of Soap

By Marneille Castro-Fabros, Founder of Myriad Skincare

Life rarely falls apart quietly.

Sometimes, it collapses all at once—your career, your income, your sense of security—leaving you staring at a blank future, asking one question on repeat: “Lord, ano na po?”

For Marneille Castro-Fabros, that question marked the beginning of Myriad.

The Beginning: When Everything You Built Disappears Overnight

At 37, Marneille had spent most of her adult life building businesses. A graduate of BS Nursing, she spent 15 years in sales for health and wellness and digital services, eventually stepping into the role of Chief Marketing Officer for a startup founded alongside colleagues she trusted—friends she had known for years.

In 2022, that trust was shattered.

What began as a promising startup turned into a painful lesson in betrayal. A secret board meeting, held behind closed doors, removed her husband from the Board of Directors—making him instantly ineligible as President. No dialogue. No compensation. No dignity.

A month later, Marneille—a co-founder herself—was terminated.

As of January 2026, they have not received a single peso from their company shares.

What followed was not just unemployment. It was uncertainty with three children to feed, bills piling up, and no safety net left.

Not a just a Skincare Founder— But A Survivor

What makes this story different is this:
Marneille never dreamed of skincare.

She wasn’t passionate about beauty. She didn’t fantasize about building a brand. Myriad was not born from ambition—it was born from necessity and desperation.

“Wala kaming choice,” she shares. “We had to step up.”

This wasn’t a glow-up story yet. It was survival.

The Problem: Betrayal, Bills, and the Absence of Answers

At first, there was relief. The pressure of a broken company was gone.

Then came anger—when the realization hit that the betrayal came from friends.

With no pay, no job, and no clarity, Marneille and her husband did the only thing left to do: they looked upward.

They attended a Victory Mabalacat Sunday service in July, not because life was good—but because life was unbearable without hope.

That day marked a turning point.

“We found our faith after the incident,” she says. “When everything was stripped away, we found Christ.”

The Guidance: When God’s Answer Was… SOAP

One quiet moment changed everything.

Sitting at their empty dining table, Marneille and her husband prayed—not for comfort, but for direction.

They asked God specifically for an idea.

The answer came unexpectedly.

“SOAP.”

Not metaphorical. Not symbolic. Literal.

Cabinet shelves filled with soap stared back at them as the thought landed:

Why not build our own brand? Our own formula. Our own company.

The idea was sudden—because there was no time to hesitate.
But it was also gradual—because formulation, testing, and learning required patience.

The Philippine soap market was already saturated. Doubts were plenty.
But faith was louder.

The Plan: Starting with ₱10,000 and Unshakeable Faith

With only ₱10,000 and zero employees, Myriad began.

There was no factory. No fancy office. No marketing team.

Leveraging years of experience as skincare resellers and co-founders, Marneille tapped into relationships with manufacturers she had built quietly over time. She learned formulations through experience, conversations, and relentless trial and error.

The first month?

Zero sales.

The biggest mistake? Underestimating the power of branding and packaging.

But they kept going.

The Risks: Almost Giving Up

Every day was hard. Especially when unpaid shares lingered as a painful reminder of injustice.

For the first three months, Marneille’s husband considered working overseas—anything to keep the family afloat.

What stopped them?

“An unexplainable peace,” she says.
A peace they credit entirely to God.

The Breakthrough: From Neighbors to Nations

The first customers were close to home—neighbors, relatives, parents of their children’s classmates.

Then something unexpected happened.

People believed in the vision.

An investor came. A small physical store opened. More products were added.

Word-of-mouth exploded.

Bulk orders came in. OFWs brought Myriad products abroad—not even to sell at first, but to share.

Six months in, international orders started arriving.

Japan was the first.

Then Israel. Singapore. Italy. Thailand. The United States.

From Mabalacat to the world.

The Success: A Brand Built on Stewardship, Not Ego

Today, Myriad is 1 year and 3 months old, operating with:

• A full skincare lineup

• Around 100 active resellers

• Customers across multiple countries

• A mission anchored in faith

But for Marneille, success isn’t measured in milestones.

“We believe none of this belongs to us,” she says.
“We are just stewards. We work for God.”

Myriad operates with a Christ-centered foundation—no shady marketing, no fraud, no shortcuts.

Only integrity.

The Vision: Building More Than a Brand

In five years, Marneille envisions Myriad as:

• A household name in skincare

• A job creator

• A brand that solves real skin problems with simple, effective routines

Myriad exists for everyday people who want to feel confident when they look in the mirror—without complicated steps or false promises.

The Invitation: This Is Only the Beginning

The story of Myriad is not finished.

It is still being written—by every reseller, every customer, every believer who chooses faith over fear.

As Colossians 3:23–24 reminds them:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

Marneille Castro-Fabros, founder of Myriad, leaves this message:

“There is nothing impossible with God.
Put everything in His hands—and you will not need to worry.”

Myriad Blessings!