From Antarctica to Alaska: How B Body Butter is changing the natural skin care market
Quality Skin Care for people who work and play outside
What do you get when you combine an Arctic-loving Artist, a need, high-end natural organic ingredients, and a business idea? The answer: B Body Butter LLC, a product line born out of necessity, creativity, and a love of all things Alaskan. In 2021, Marylou Blakeslee, an Artist/Guide who spent months of the year working in Antarctica, the Arctic, Baja, and Southeast Alaska, was looking for naturally sourced, environmentally friendly skin products that could hold up against environmental extremes.
“It was important that in addition to the skin products working, they left a zero-sum- no impact (no plastic) on this extreme, pristine environment. I could not find what I needed, so I decided to create the line”. The line includes organic, concentrated, moisturizing body butter that relieves the super dry skin so often experienced by athletes, fishermen, guides, landscapers, skiers, and ranchers alike. In fact, Skiers are particularly fond of the Skin Guard stick with non-nano zinc oxide.
Although Ms. Blakeslee was fully committed to creating high-quality skin care, bringing her creations to market, business plans, financials, and all the other necessities of running a business were not yet in her skillset. The Alaska Small Business Development Center came to her rescue. Advisor Jade Greene took the newly fledged business and helped turn it into the success it is today. Ms. Greene’s expertise in explaining financials, along with her creativity in marketing and sourcing ingredients and plastic-free shipping materials, complimented Ms. Blakeslee’s vision to get the business on a successful track.
Increasing sales and glowing reviews from Alaskan and national customers proved the need for quality skin care for people who work and play hard outside in extreme conditions. The business is doing so well that Ms. Blakeslee is collaborating with Advisor Greene to explore the possibility of expanding the line to include a local cosmetic manufacturing plant.
Ms. Blakeslee states, “As sales and the demand for larger orders increase, our growth will only be hampered by our ability to fill these increased orders in a timely manner”.
To achieve this next critical step, B Body Butter LLC also anticipates acquiring its first major round of funding in the next year. Ms. Blakeslee further adds, “I remain optimistic that with the continued assistance of Ms. Greene and the additional Alaska SBDC resources, B Body Butter LLC will achieve its objectives.
B Body Butter Products come in reusable, recyclable, biodegradable packaging and can be found at BBodyButter.Company.Site and on BuyAlaska.
