Making Sales Second Nature

Best-Selling Natural Soaps and Lotions at Specialty Stores

Fragrant, easy to gift and universally practical, soaps and lotions were popular even before the pandemic. “But now they’re even more popular, because people are washing their hands more often,” noted DaMarla Von Tipton, retail manager at Lunaroma Aromatic Apothecary in Burlington, Vt. And all that washing makes hands drier, so sales of lotions and other skin products are also up at stores nationwide.

After sending patrons home with trial sizes earlier in the pandemic, Lunaroma has returned to displaying its 24 housemade soaps alongside a large basin, so guests can sample them. “There’s no one scent for everybody; it always ends up being whatever someone likes,” explained Von Tipton. “It’s all about coming in, trying things, smelling the products.”

The soap display is organized alphabetically, but Lunaroma also carries body butter, body cream, body silk, lotions and massage oils. In every format, the brand emphasizes aromatherapy, the curative properties of fragrance; an example is lavender to promote tranquility. Lunaroma’s 21-year-old business also sells its products wholesale and will customize products to order.

Choosing a bath product can be very personal, according to LaDonna Ford, who has been making all-natural soaps since she learned as a child from her grandmother. At her Casa Grande, Ariz., store, Arizona Native Lotions and Soaps, “we have so many different kinds of soaps; what people buy depends on their age and needs,” Ford said. Oatmeal, a top selling ingredient, is a mild exfoliant that’s good for sensitive skin. Deactivated charcoal is helpful for acne scars and dark spots. “And goat milk soaps, when they’re made from scratch with real milk and not powder, leave your skin incredibly soft, not slimy or dry like store detergent,” Ford said.

The retailer opened her 600-square-foot shop last year, after starting the business as an ecommerce brand five years ago. She also carries other craft brands, with merchandise mixed eclectically; bath salts, body butters, lotions and soaps all share the shelves. “My philosophy is to leave it all out, so people can smell and sample everything,” Ford said.

At Portsmouth Soap Company in Portsmouth, N.H., patrons are encouraged to have fun with the foaming gels and soapy suds. Owner Lauren Wolf keeps plenty of samples out, and in a 600-square-foot boutique, shopping is inevitably communal. “Selling a such a fun way to interact, helping people find the right product,” Wolf observed. Once high season is over in this resort town, Wolf hosts soap-making classes for the locals.

Inside Portsmouth Soap Company, there are sections for the men’s line, for goat milk soaps

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Making Sales Second (From page 196) aimed at sensitive skin, and a table featuring seasonal items. Wolf opened the store three years ago, and got through the pandemic thanks to a hastily assembled website. “I never wanted to sell online, but it’s been really huge for us,” Wolf reflected. “And Portsmouth is a community that has really supported its small businesses.”

The two Ohio locations of Stem Handmade Soap specialize in herbal fragrances like lemongrass spearmint, rosemary mint, patchouli, and orange clove. “When people come in, we guide them to the displays where they can sniff the soaps until they find their scent,” said Steve Meka , who owns Stem locations in Lakewood and Shaker Heights.

Over the years, he has experimented with various types of displays in the shops, which are both smaller than 400 square feet. “What works best for us is grouping scents together across all formats,” Meka explained. Once a customer settles on a favorite scent, there are bar soaps, bath bombs, sugar scrubs, lotions, body butters and foaming hand soaps to choose from.

You don’t have to be a wine lover at Napa Soap Company, but it certainly helps. Almost every product at the St. Helena, Calif.,-based business incorporates wine and grapeseed oil. “Wine has antioxidant properties, so it’s good for your skin,” explained Owner Sheila Rockwood

Because of how displays are designed, once a Stem Handmade Soap customer settles on a favorite scent, there are bar soaps, bath bombs, sugar scrubs, lotions, body butters and foaming hand soaps to choose from. Shown is a view of the sales floor at one of the stores.

At the 21-year-old artisanal business, all the lotions are crafted without parabens, and shea butter complements the hydrating qualities of grapeseed oil. There’s a men’s shaving line, as well as bath bombs, candles and liquid soaps, all in 28 mostly wine-related scents like “cabernet soapignon.” “The ones with the wine names tend to be the most popular,” said Rockwood. Napa’s products, which are also sold at other outlets, are merchandised by type; there is a wall of bar soaps, a shelf for liquid soaps and lotions, and so forth. ❖

What Is Your Top-Selling Soap Scent?

With all the scents out there, humble lavender still rules the day at many soap and toiletry stores.

“Anything lavender does really, really well for us,” said Steve Meka, owner at Stem Handmade Soap in Lakewood, Ohio. “We carry plain lavender, lavender eucalyptus, lavender lemon — and a few times a year, special lavender blends like vanilla and thyme.”

Lavender is the top scent at Arizona Native Lotions and Soaps in Casa Grande, Ariz., where cranberry is another favorite. “And a lot of people like peppermint to relieve pain in sore muscles,” said Owner LaDonna Ford

At Lunaroma Aromatic Apothecary in Burlington Vt., the best- selling fragrances are lemon lavender and rosemary lavender. “Lavender is popular because it’s very calming, and most people enjoy relaxing,” explained Retail Manager DaMarla Von Tipton “It’s a lovely, herbally floral scent.” Lavender and eucalyptus are the reliable year-round favorites at Portsmouth Soap Company in that New Hampshire town. But Owner Lauren Wolf said seasonal smells resonate in a coastal resort. “Right now anything coconut is doing fabulous,” said Wolf in July. “In a month, it’ll be cinnamon spice and fall scents.”

There is a subtle note of grape, as in wine, in all the fragrances at Napa Soap Company. “Cabernet soapignon” and “soapignon blanc,” a grapefruit and pomegranate blend, are customer favorites at the St. Helena, Calif., store, according to Owner Sheila Rockwood. ❖