Bath and body products aren’t a sideshow at The Bath Well.
The new e-commerce destination from husband-and-wife co-founders Deena and Ilan Kreimont is putting the oft-snubbed bath and body category at the heart of its clean beauty collection. It launched this month with 60 stockkeeping units of bath bombs, body lotions, body washes, body scrubs, body spray, hand sanitizers, hand washes, and salts and soaks from eight brands: Kosmatology, Birchrose + Co, Captain Blankenship, Griffin Remedy, Jusu Body, Level Naturals, Basd and Little Moon Essentials.
“I’ve always been a bath-obsessed person. It’s been my way to unwind and recharge at the end of a long day. When shopping for non-toxic bath and body products at a grocer or local retailer, it’s a challenge. I’m super ingredient-conscious, and the options are limited. There may be two brands, if that,” says Deena Kreimont, a graphic designer by trade. “While there has been growth in green beauty retail, most luxury green beauty retailers focus on skincare. We felt there was an opportunity to start a site focused on bath and body.”
The Bath Well is hitting the digital scene at a moment in which sales of bath and body products are on the rise. From 2015 to 2016, domestic sales of bath and shower merchandise increased nearly 4% to almost $8 billion, according to Euromonitor. The research firm estimates worldwide sales of the merchandise over the same period climbed 5.2% to $38.7 billion. The numbers are reflected on Instagram accounts flooded by aspirational bath posts.
“It makes a lot of sense to me that the bath category has received a lot more interest over the last couple of years. It’s in line with people being interested in self-care,” says Kreimont. “Years back, everyone was all about the hustle and bustle, and working all the time. So, to me, it makes sense that there’s a trend toward people taking more time for themselves.”
The Kreimonts’ Chicago apartment is packed with 150 units of bath and body inventory. “It’s overwhelmed with products that we’re always testing out,” says Deena Kreimont. The couple’s bathroom has been ground zero for product vetting. Thankfully, it has a bath. “We looked at a place last year that we blocked out immediately because it only had a shower,” says Kreimont. “That wasn’t going to happen.”
“When shopping for non-toxic bath and body products at a grocer or local retailer, it’s a challenge. I’m super ingredient-conscious, and the options are limited. There may be two brands, if that. While there has been growth in green beauty retail, most luxury green beauty retailers focus on skincare. We felt there was an opportunity to start a site focused on bath and body.”
To pick products for The Bath Well, the pair zeroed in first on clean ingredients and effectiveness. Another criterion was that the brands have an array of bath and body items. They sought to broadly represent them, and not merely have single products here and there from brands. In the early goings, body washes and body lotions are the strongest sellers, and the Kreimonts reason it’s because they’re essentials customers regularly purchase. Body oils, shaving creams and deodorants are under consideration for future assortment expansion at The Bath Well.
All the products on the site are under $25. “We want to keep the majority of our products at accessible price points. We have a few body washes and body lotions under $10. So, for someone who’s is spending $5 to $10 currently at the store, there’s an option for them. There’s also an option for someone spending closer to $15 and who may be willing to go up to the $20 range,” says Elon Kreimont. “I wanted to make sure we weren’t offering things that were such a jump for someone using conventional bath and body care.”
The Kreimonts aren’t expecting The Bath Well to be a massive success overnight. They realize an e-commerce enterprise may make slow progress. “Our goal is to really test things out and see what’s resonating with customers. We are trying to keep startup costs as low as possible,” says Elon Kreimont, a software product manager outside of his chief product officer role at The Bath Well. “We really want to take a data-driven and iterative approach to how we grow the business.”
The Bath Well will be experimenting with Facebook, Instagram and Google advertising to spread its message. Its targets for ads will be consumers aged 25- to 45-years-old active in the natural beauty, health and fitness segments. The Kreimonts anticipate eventually broadening the scope of their outreach to people not as ingredient conscious, but perhaps open to venturing into clean beauty. They are keen on The Bath Well attracting men as well as women to its selection.
Beyond the digital universe, The Bath Well is planning to participate in events with exercise studios, juice bars and similar venues aimed at customers aligned with its mission. “We want to engage with customers in real time, and get their feedback on formulas, scents and packaging,” says Deena Kreimont. “The one downside of having an e-commerce site is not being able to get that sort of feedback from customers and, once we get it, we will have an understanding of what categories we should go into, and we’ll be strategic from there.”
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