Made in the Ozarks: Poppy and Petunia

What started as a fun addition to bath time for Ashley Ensley’s kids has spread to 350 stores. Poppy and Petunia bath bombs and soaps are now in all 50 states and online at e-commerce site Etsy. Ensley said she’s working to launch her own website in the next month, and she has her sights set on doubling revenue in 2021.

SBJ: What are your core products?
Ashley Ensley: I specialize in natural bath bombs. I don’t use anything artificial, and I only use organic essential oils for fragrance. I do a couple of vegan soaps, as well.

SBJ: What was your inspiration to start the business?
Ensley: My kids always wanted to use the colorful bath products that you see at the dollar store and the grocery store. I just knew that they were so bad for your skin because you’re looking at the ingredients and you can’t pronounce most of what’s on there. They’re full of artificial fragrances and colorants, and so I decided to make some just as little gifts for my kids and my nieces. I posted them on Facebook and people started asking if they could buy them.

SBJ: What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned through starting the company?
Ensley: To take pride in what you’re doing, making sure that you use the best ingredients, the best packaging, the best shipping practices, because it’s really going to build loyalty with your customers. And just to put a lot of heart into what you do.

SBJ: Have you seen a growth in the consumer market for self-care items like bath bombs?
Ensley: The market for bath bombs has become huge. I don’t think they’re going anywhere. A lot more people are being aware of what they’re putting on their skin, which is great, so I think that the demand for the natural options will continue to grow.

SBJ: Where do you source your ingredients, including the CBD that you include in some of your products?
Ensley: Everything is listed really clearly on the labels. I try to be really transparent about where I get my oils. I get pretty much everything as far as the florals and the herbal products and essential oils from MaMa Jean’s [Natural Market]. There are cheaper options out there for me, but I like knowing where it comes from and I trust our local MaMa Jean’s. For CBD, there’s a company that is really open about their lab testing: It’s called Fountain of Health. They provide the CBD at wholesale for me.

SBJ: What goals do you have for the company?
Ensley: I would really like to get out of working in my house. Whether it be a manufacturing facility or something like that, I need to be out of my house. I’ve taken over my dining room and it’s just wall to wall with bath bombs and packaging materials. Ultimately, I would love to be nationally recognized. I want to be the equivalent of the big brand bath bombs for the natural side.

SBJ: What challenges do you anticipate?
Ensley: I am a huge perfectionist and a control freak when it comes to my product. I pretty much do it on my own because I want everything to look the same and to be uniform whenever it goes out to the stores. I’m going to need to learn to let go a little bit of that control. I’m 100% willing to do that.