Java Percolates in Personal Care

Coffee-infused products make the most of stock packaging and well-designed labels to cause a stir in bath and body.

Written by Jamie Matusow, Editor

Need to boost your daily jolt of caffeine? Bath and body products with names such as Perk It Up, Soothe Those Jitters, Triple Shot and One Lump or Two are sure to get your energy flowing.

The team at Barista Bath and Body has combined its java expertise with a passion for personal care products, which it says are good for people and the planet, and introduced a complete line of natural hair and skin care products that tap coffee as a key ingredient. The luxurious, coffee-inspired product line includes shampoo, conditioner, gel, body scrub, body crème, soap, mist and lip balm. Headquartered in Portland, OR, with offices in Orange County, CA, Barista Bath and Body was created by a management team experienced in business process consulting, finance—and fine coffee production. Why coffee? The buzz is that these products are delicious for the body and skin.

Barista lays claim as the first full beauty line to leverage the revitalizing benefits of coffee by making organic brew a primary ingredient in its flagship products (coffee extract and essential oils are used to boost the benefits). Coffee’s unique contributions to beauty products, according to Barista, include helping to remove impurities from hair and offering a natural pH to soothe and protect the skin. The firm points to published studies that have documented the benefits of the topical application of coffee and its major constituent, caffeine. All Barista Bath and Body products are paraben, sulfate and phthalate-free.

“At Barista Bath and Body, we believe in our products,” says Christine Willett, CEO. “We formulated them to make a difference.Great thought has gone into our ingredients, production footprint, and packaging.We care about the world now and in the future.”

Willett says, “We came to realize that our packaging spoke to who Barista Bath and Body is, as much as our products do—we wanted our labels and bottles to convey our message: natural, safe, effective for both men and women.”

Barista selected clear, recyclable bottles for its products to allow them to “speak for themselves.” Zoom Creates in Portland, OR, fashioned the label, which Willett says, “compelled you to touch it:clean, sleek lines whose photographic artwork conveyed the essence of the product.”

Willett adds that, as natural products, they require natural, outer packaging for gift sets.“What could be more natural, recyclable and tactile than jute, burlap and wood?” she comments.

Bottles and jars are PET with a plastic classification code of 1, and sourced from McKernan Packaging Clearing House located in Reno, NV. The manufacturer is King.

The brand’s eco-friendly mini tote bags are made of organic jute fibers (recycle No. 61 TEX), which are sourced from Discount Mugs, and manufactured in the Philippines. Eco-friendly travel envelopes are made of 100% natural burlap from Eco-Friendly Market, also in the Philippines.Gift boxes are made of 100% biodegradable pine and birch, and made specifically for Barista by Bragley Manufacturing Company in Brooklyn, NY. The fill for the gift bags and boxes is all natural, 100% biodegradable premium grade wood excelsior made in the USA from non-toxic and non-allergenic Aspen wood fibers; supplier is Nashville Wraps located in Hendersonville, TN. Additional fill for the gift bags is acid free Kraft tissue paper made from 100% recycled fibers in the USA, also supplied by Nashville Wraps.

Designed to appeal equally to both women and men, individual products range in price from $4.50 to $28; gift sets are priced at $22.50 to $150.

With your personal care Barista, you can wake up and smell the coffee before you even complete your morning toilette!

More info: www.baristabathandbody.com