Cleaning Up at Soap Shops Trends in Toiletries and Soaps

The last two years have been a bonanza for the soap and toiletries business. The pandemic has prompted Americans to take hand washing much more seriously, and all that washing in turn creates the need for lotion. And as COVID has kept Americans at home more, they’ve paid more attention to ambiance, splurging on scented candles.

“We’ve been focusing on ways for people to have comfort and joy in their homes during the pandemic,” said Lisa Stanger, owner of Blackthorn Mercantile in Portland, Ore. She opened the store last September and has been pleased to see its locally sourced, artisan offerings resonate with Portland shoppers.

In addition to the 750-square-foot retail area, Blackthorn has an event space of the same size where Stanger hosts tarot reading nights around new and full moons. “We’ll sell so many candles, we can’t keep them in stock,” she said. The majority of Blackthorn sales are gifts; patrons appreciate the store’s packaged sets, upscale artisan feel, and eco-consciousness.

Customer favorites include soaps from Colorado’s Moth & Moon line, whose gold stamped design and relaxing CBD-infused products make it a favorite for gifts. Local Oregon brands include Optimistic, which supports social causes, and Mama Bare Naturals.

Portland-based Wax & Wane is by far the top-selling candle line at Blackthorn Mercantile, with a wide range of appealing scents, including Timberline and Baltic Amber for winter.

Also in Portland, Naomi Heedt has developed a loyal clientele for her handmade lotions, soaps and candles in the year and a half since she opened Mad Sass Soap with her husband, Marc. “People love coming in and browsing, and we’re getting more and more people as time goes on,” said Marc Heedt . “When you light yourself a candle and put on lotion, it’s like a spa day at home.”

That touch of luxury has also made Mad Sass products popular with gift givers. Naomi Heedt oversees

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Cleaning Up (From page 91) a fragrance selection that changes with the seasons, from the popular Lemon Rose to wintry scents like First Snow. Candle connoisseurs gravitate toward wooden wicks, which have “a nice little flicker, a bit of a crackling,” said Marc Heedt. “It’s relaxing and calming.”

Many of the new shops have boosted their profiles through soap- and candle-making opportunities. At Buff City Soap, which opened last summer in Atlanta, guests can create personalized scents at organized workshops, saving their unique fragrance recipes for future soaps and lotions. General Manager Heather Marston said all of Buff City’s own products are made in-house; laundry soap is the best-seller, and the top smell is narcissus, a unisex fragrance.

In Dunedin, Florida, Jenny Ho started her business through at-home soap- and candle-making classes. She sold her own wholesale toiletries before opening Jade Soap Shop in a storefront; this January, the shop expanded to 900 square feet. Soap-making workshops remain a core part of Ho’s business, which uses the traditional French lye-based method. “It takes a while for the lye to cure, so you need to book in January if you want to make Valentine’s gifts,” Ho explained. Still, excluding the curing time, “you can make your own soap from scratch in two hours.”