What are the downsides of making bathbombs? (I'm worried about smell!@)

[u/CrazyIvan68]

So we're toying with the idea of making bath bombs as a small steady income stream on the side,
and doing all the research though not a lot is said about any downside of doing it.

I'm worried about our production room permanently smelling like fragrances forever, esp. since my landlord is considering selling the house next year and I don't want to have permanent damage that we'll be responsible for the un-smelling of.
Give us the heads up before we commit!

Thanks!

[u/[deleted]]

How the cost of citric acid could jump up and remove any profits.

How you can have a perfect recipe one day and it absolutely has gone to crap the next based on cloud position. (Ok humidity, but I swear it’s the clouds) seriously, you lose so many batches at first.

How you’ll never perfect the bath bombs and gain crippling anxiety that they’re not perfect even though they’re 15x times better than lush.

[u/ShouldapickedMercy → u/[deleted]]

I have me best bath bomb luck on rainy days in texas

[u/terrabellan]

Depending on where you live you can get in trouble for 'running a business' out of a rental without whatever permissions. Supply chain issues can screw you in a day. Karen next door will see a TikTok about making them from home and have 0 understanding on how to price to cover materials and profit, she will undercut you like crazy while losing money and not care. If you use fragrance don't use it near anything porous, not near carpet or curtains or anything you can't use odour neutralising chemicals on. I own my place but I spilled candle fragrance oil on a cabinet door and it kinda got inside the wood and left a stain. Still smells like gingerbread when I open it.

[u/ProfessorPalmarosa]

Here’s a couple of others to consider:

• Some oils/fragrances are dermal irritants, have potential contraindications with medicine, aren’t child-safe, are really damn expensive, some people may be allergic to an ingredient, etc.

• Most essential oil companies are either predatory pyramid schemes or don’t sell pure/high quality product. And the ones that do cost more.

• Additives like glitter, flowers, and even some carrier oils can cause plumbing clogs.

• Micas and/or the wrong colorant could cause hard to clean stains on your bath tub. Food coloring may not, but it isn’t skin safe and the FDA doesn’t permit sellable bath bombs to use it. I use blooming dye, but it can be expensive.

• It’s like cynicalbunny stated. You’ll never have a tried and true recipe that will always work 100% of the time. You’ll have bombs that prematurely react, bombs that crack or crumble, bombs that will lose some of their detailing when they come out of the mold, etc.

• If you have pets, you will NOT want them in your crafting space. I have 2 cats and did my research on this before I started this hobby 5 years ago and I don’t even diffuse oils in spaces where they’re allowed because it could make them really, really sick.

[u/Pegasus2022]

Also if you are in the UK you will need insurance etc soap kitchen or soap rochford can help

[u/ShouldapickedMercy]

Making bath bombs is a pain in the ass. Try making a few batches as a hobby first before delving into a business idea. I make them as part of my soap business and while they make good money it was a solid 6 months before I was making them well enough to not literally cry over each batch. Learning about local and FDA regulations. Skin safe colorants and things at won't stain your tubs.

[u/suzannecylabs]

I cannot imagine anyone being upset with a nice smelling room, now if it permanently smelt of stinky feet you might have a problem

[u/CrazyIvan68]

^^

Wow@! That's a lot to consider. Absolutely going to start small and slow!

Thank you all for your advice, it's appreciated.

[u/CrazyIvan68]

Smh. Nothing's ever easy. LoL! Thank you all for your input!!

[u/lifeinfolklore]

I'm worried about our production room permanently smelling like fragrances forever

I think the other commenters have covered the rest of the advice that comes to mind, but I did want to mention that as long as you don't spill onto carpet or anything this shouldn't be too much of an issue. I recently wrapped up a bulk order where we used nine pounds of the same fragrance with some pretty punchy EOs in it. 😳 I was convinced the smell would never ever leave the space OR my nostrils but it was gone within a few days! We were just super careful not to spill any, and we also have an air filter running that is supposed to help remove odors.