My daughter got a toy surprise bath bomb for Christmas last year. What a hit! She enjoyed it so much we bought all the supplies to make our own and they’re incredibly easy. They are made up of very small toys–in her case, a color changing mermaid–inside a bath bomb. You drop the bath bomb in, which is fun in its own right, and after the bomb dissolves, there’s a fun toy to play with. All of her siblings were jealous – so was I.
Bath bombs can be made with a small number of inexpensive ingredients that are easy to purchase – many at your local grocery store. I bought all of my supplies on Amazon for convenience. Things like essential oils and large bath bomb molds aren’t easy to find locally and may not be for you either. I’ll include a list below.
Initial Investment Cost
You can get all of the supplies you need for about $100. They include:
- Large bath bomb molds (4) $8.49
- Shrink wrap bags (optional, better presentation) $7.99/200
- Mica pigment powder $11.99/24 colors
- Lagunamoon essential oil set $25.99/20 oils
- Citric acid $14.89/5#
- Epsom salt (cheaper purchased locally) $5 or so for a large bag
- Baking soda (Costco is the best buy for this) under $5 for a large bag
- Cornstarch (local purchase) under $5
- Liquid oil (use what you have on hand that is neutral, including melted coconut oil)
- Toys of your choice – we used girly plastic rings and glow in the dark aliens for a total of $14
The total cost of these ingredients comes to about $100 and you have enough to do tons of bath bombs.
Space Required
No land is required and indoor storage space is minimal – hooray!
Turnaround Time
You can start seeing a return in less than a week. Your bath bombs should cure for a day before packaging and then you can start advertising them. Even better, take custom orders once you have a few for display, then you don’t have time invested before a sure sale is made.
Daily Time Requirements
Bath bomb mix up quickly, especially in small batches. You’ll need to buy more molds if you want to do bulk mixes, but the time spent to do one batch is less than a half hour. You can probably mix and fill in under 15 minutes if everything is organized (not here!).
Profit Potential
Overall profits are not going to be high, but you’ll see surges in sales around holidays. This makes a great homemade gift item or party favor too. I love keeping things like this on hand for bartering and gifting. When people see them, they’re usually smitten and more willing to buy some for their own gift giving.
Potential Markets
This is one of those things that will sell best locally, so focus on local ad places like Craigslist and Facebook. If you can price them competitively, eBay and Etsy are also great options, but more competition means both lower sales and lower pricing options. Focus in your local area where these are likely a novelty for best results.
Learn More
Bath bombs are easy to make and can make a great addition to your craft products lineup. Be sure to look into state regulations before you sell these. Our state has strict labeling requirements but no other special rules. Know before you sell to avoid costly penalties.