Introduction: Welcome to Cottage Fresh Scents, where handmade quality bath, body, skincare and haircare products are made in small batches in my workshop based in Eaglescliffe (North East, UK). As I sit down to pen my very first blog post, I'm filled with a whirlwind of emotions - excitement, anticipation, and a touch of nervousness. Today, I want to share with you the story behind Cottage Fresh Scents, how it started, where it is today and future plans.
The Face of Cottage Fresh Scents: I'm Jayne and not normally one to write about myself but here goes! I have provided a very brief synopsis about me previously but nothing that explains the true background of how this has been a dream for approximately 20 years before bravely taking the leap. Having grown up on a farm and watching my whole extended family running their own business, I had always wanted the same level of independence too. Every summer was spent attending both the Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate and at the Royal Agricultural Show, Stoneleigh where I was always drawn to the rural craft tents. I always wanted to make something and was drawn to all the stalls selling handcrafted soap and similar bath and body products.
Yet, as a teenager I was too wary of the cosmetic regulations; everything seemed very complex and I didn't really know where to start. At this time I also had pressure from college to apply for university which is the route I chose to follow. Looking back, I should have had the courage to take the chance and worked it out alongside being in employment. However, it was only once I had met my husband and started our family that I decided to re-visit my lifetime dream of running my own business full-time. I became fully self-employed in December 2022 and although at times it has been hard running a business and juggling our young children (6, 3 and 2 years old) and their commitments, I couldn't be any happier!
Start of Cottage Fresh Scents: It all began with wax melts as the requirements to be compliant (CLP) was an easy place to start meanwhile I spent years researching the exact steps required for creating and selling bath and body products. Slowly working my way through the legalities of needing a CPSR for all cosmetic products and their variants whilst also needing to document everything in a PIF file as well as uploading all products to the "dreaded" portal...turns out it wasn't anywhere near as scary as my teenage self once thought! I launched my bath and body range selling whipped soap and body butter and it has been growing and evolving ever since.
The Vision: Driven by a desire to leave my teaching career, my vision was clear - to create a range of bath and body products that not only smell divine but also look amazing too.
One item on my road map is to work towards using more eco-friendly packaging without this having the adverse effects on the products themselves that I have experienced during my extensive testing over the past 3 years. This has been a frustration for me as I dislike having to use plastic based packaging. However, to ensure the longevity of my products and customer satisfaction this has been my only option thus far.
I have added a lot of other products over the past 3 years such as bath bombs, bubble bars, bubble bath, exfoliating soap sponges, hair masks and cuticle oils and have many new products that I am currently in the process of testing too such as clay masks, shampoo bars, conditioner bars, natural deodorant and they will be released over the course of the year.
Product Quality: At Cottage Fresh Scents, I take pride in the quality of the final product and am always happy to take any feedback and make improvements when needed. Each product is handmade in small batches using only the highest quality ingredients. My commitment to quality ensures that every product that leaves the workshop is a testament to my dedication and passion.
However, to avoid unnecessary waste any products that do not meet my usual high standards are released as "reduced to clear" products and "whoopsies" with anything from 25%-50% off the usual RRP.
Cottage Fresh Scents Community: Beyond making beautiful products, I try to share on all of my social media platforms as much as possible. However, due to my commitment to customer satisfaction and product quality I often don't post as often as I should but you can find me here:
- Follow Cottage Fresh Scents on Facebook
- Follow Cottage Fresh Scents on Instagram
- Follow Cottage Fresh Scents on TikTok
I invite you to experience Cottage Fresh Scents for yourself, samples are available for most products. Why not try them for yourself?
Jayne
Founder, Cottage Fresh Scents