Bathing Beauty, an artisan company that started making skincare products from home eight years ago, was announced as the winner of the Progressive Gifts & Home/GiftsandHome.net sponsored Beauty, Bath & Spa category at last night’s Gift of the Year awards, held on the first night of Spring Fair (February 3).
“Bathing Beauty started out as a kitchen table business,” founder George Jones told GiftsandHome.net, “borne out of a mother’s desperation. My three children, all under five, had skin allergies that were made worse by the products that doctors prescribed. Somehow, I had a deep belief that I could do better myself. I therefore set out on a mission armed only with a book from the library, ten years as an osteopath and £50 of start-up capital. I invented every product myself, along with the names and the packaging. What I have achieved is effective, affordable, natural bath and body care.”
So how did it feel to be announced as the winner of the Gift of the Year Beauty, Bath & Spa category as well as the winner of the Ethical Gift category for the company’s Bathing Beauty soap? “I felt overwhelmed, validated!” enthused George.
The company, which currently employs five people, is continuing to do everything in house, from manufacturing to packing and shipping.
Top: Bathing Beauty’s George Jones (right) is pictured with the Beauty, Bath & Spa trophy at the Gift of the Year awards last night. Also show is the company’s ‘head of making it happen’ Caroline (left), and Progressive Gifts & Home/GiftsandHome.net’s editor Sue Marks (centre).