Kimberly Barnes can’t help but tinker outside her main charge. When she worked in real estate, dabbling in bath bombs on the side led to the launch of the brand Fizz & Bubble a decade ago.
As Fizz & Bubble took off, Barnes still couldn’t stay put and is adding to her command with a new brand, Weekends & Chocolate, that’s pushing her bath company into prestige. “My favorite part of the business is creating. It’s like being an artist, you never stop creating. Maybe I’ll even go beyond fizzies,” she says. “Fizz & Bubble is a masstige brand, and it’s a fun line. Weekends & Chocolate is a more sophisticated brand. Its scents are more complex. I wanted to bring in higher-end, exotic ingredients and more of a spa feel.”
Barnes’ creative energy has paid off. Nordstrom picked up Weekends & Chocolate, and the brand is scheduled to roll out to its stores by October to be ready for holiday shopping. Barnes predicts Weekends & Chocolates could account for a quarter of overall revenues between Fizz & Bubble and Weekends & Chocolates in two to three years. Beyond department stores, she suggests gift shops, hotels and spas are probable distribution partners for the brand.
“Fizz & Bubble is a masstige brand, and it’s a fun line. Weekends & Chocolate is a more sophisticated brand. Its scents are more complex. I wanted to bring in higher-end, exotic ingredients and more of a spa feel.”
Weekends & Chocolates has been percolating in Barnes’ mind since around 2014, but she didn’t have the bandwidth to tackle it or a name for her the prestige project for quite a while. Fizz & Bubble took some tasks off her plate by hiring people in management, design and marketing roles, and freed up her schedule to develop Weekends & Chocolate. The name came from a fortuitous lunch with a girlfriend who suggested Barnes label the brand after her favorite things.
Although Weekends & Chocolates is aimed at a different market segment, the pricing hasn’t been altered substantially from Fizz & Bubble. Fizz & Bubble’s bath fizzies are $6, and Weekends & Chocolates’ are $8. Weekends & Chocolates’ prices rise to $30 across its assortment, which contains bath truffles, body cream, body polish, bath salt soak and a candle. “It’s a luxurious product, but a luxury that everyone can enjoy,” says Barnes.
If the price isn’t much of a departure from Fizz & Bubble, Weekends & Chocolates’ multidimensional scents are definitely distinct. Fizz & Bubble has lighthearted fragrances such as Birthday Cake and Coconut Cream. Weekends & Chocolate features the toasted vanilla, coconut and smoky caramel Cashmere Milk; the leathery pepper, black tea and tobacco Dark Sequins; light floral Flower Bubbles; oakmoss, jasmine and green floral Gypsy Soul; sandalwood and vanilla musk Tea Blush; grapefruit and jasmine Morning Zen, and whiskey and sandalwood Nightcap Dreams.
Barnes’ introduction of Weekends & Chocolates is buoyed by the success of Fizz & Bubble and mounting interest in bath products generally. Wilsonville, Ore.-based Fizz & Bubble’s 150 employees churn out millions of bath bombs yearly for 5,000 retail doors at the likes of Ulta Beauty, Stage Stores, Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Belk. The brand’s sales are surging 500% this year over last year driven by store debuts and expansion within existing retailers. Barnes mentions Fizz & Bubble’s footprint has doubled to four feet inside Ulta Beauty’s locations.
The self-care phenomenon has been a boost to the brand. “People are taking the time to relax. They are putting things in their baths that are moisturizing their skin, and that are giving them the time and space they need,” says Barnes. She notes the desire for self-care has made bath products less of a seasonal purchase isolated to winter. “We have had huge growth in the summer,” she remarks.
Looking to future growth, Barnes wants to stretch to international markets and keep building sales by attracting shoppers with fresh products. Her creative juices are ample enough for the releases of 15 to 21 stockkeeping units annually. Lip scrubs in flavors including Watermelon, Rainbow Sherbet and Bubble Gum are recent entrants in the Fizz & Bubble product lineup. For Weekends & Chocolate, face oils and lip colors are under consideration.
“People are taking the time to relax. They are putting things in their baths that are moisturizing their skin, and that are giving them the time and space they need.”
Barnes doesn’t require external investment to implement her growth plans and isn’t courting potential acquirers. “We don’t have the pressure to sell right now. It’s a very profitable business, and I’m having so much fun,” she says, before admitting, “You never know. I can never say never.”
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