Lather Up
Primal Elements founder Faith Freeman turned soap-making out of her mother's kitchen into an Orange County personal care manufacturing business.
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| BUY LOCAL For soaps and other personal care Primal Elements products, find an Orange County retailer at primalelementsonline.com. |
As the push for a greener existence has fueled eco-friendliness across the spectrum of products and services, the concept of buying local has been at the top of the long checklist of things people can do for the sake of the planet. Add to that our country’s financial plummet, and supporting the local economy becomes even more important.
Which is why Orange County-based soap, candle and personal care product manufacturer Primal Elements caught our attention. The family-operated business has 32 employees and occupies about 20,000 square feet in its Huntington Beach facility. Beginning as a soap maker/retailer in the ’90s, the company has expanded its product line to include fragranced and embellished candles; perfume rollers; bubble bath; body scrub; three-in-one shampoo, body wash, bubble bath; hand cream; and more.
Fragrance and packaging really help set products apart for the company. The hand-jeweled red checkered box used to package the 13-ounce scented Lollipop candle (which made my living room smell like a candy store) was so pretty, I couldn’t throw it away. Plus, the lemon meringue-scented Three-in-One smelled like lemon meringue and the grapefruit Sugar Whip body scrub smelled like grapefruit – not some chemically-smelling alternative.
“If consumers don’t like the way something smells, they will not use that product again,” says founder and Chief Creative Officer Faith Freeman.
Freeman took some time from her creative duties to answer questions about her family’s role in the business and about soap.
Why soap?
My background was in the interior design field; I especially enjoyed color theory. My husband and I decided to open a bath, body and personal care shop in Belmont Shore in 1993. I was looking at a Body Shop franchise but felt my direction was a little bit different from theirs, so we decided to open our own store… My husband thought it would be clever to slice “fresh” soap in the store in front of the customers to bring a little drama to the store. It did! We began making soap in my mother’s Huntington Harbour kitchen and bringing it to our store.
What sets your soaps apart?
Our soaps are very unique in the way they are produced [handmade in small batches]. Each is unique and crafted by what we call “soap artists.” We take tremendous pride in our soap formula as well. Vegetable glycerin is mild to the skin; it is moisturizing and rinses cleanly away without any residue left on the skin. Our bars of soap last about three weeks, so we call it a three-week vacation.
As a small business, has Primal Elements felt the effects of the economic downturn?
The current economic situation has definitely had an impact on business. We sell to independent gift and specialty stores. These folks are feeling the crunch every day. Our business is doing fine – I would like it to be doing better, but I’m not going to complain.
Are you a big proponent of buying local?
All lab work is done locally and if we have items filled outside, it is actually done very close to home. We would like to support as many local businesses and economies as possible. However, if pricing becomes an issue, we may have to look outside of our area.
How do you balance company roles with your husband and son?
My husband and I do not share an office; we each have individual duties that don’t overlap very often. He is the “nuts and bolts” of the business and I run the creative side. Trying not to step on each other’s toes is very important. With our son joining the business, we had to be very careful not to treat him as our child but as an important member of the team.
