Packaging a handmade bath bomb isn’t as simple as choosing something that looks attractive.
Bath bombs need protection from humidity and moisture. They need to withstand handling and shipping. Their scent needs to remain as fresh as possible while they wait to be purchased. And, in our case, we also want customers to be able to see the natural colours and botanicals that make each bath bomb unique.
At ashbury BLOOM•, we’ve always tried to balance those practical needs with our desire to be thoughtful about how much packaging we use.
Over the years, that has led us to make different choices for different products. We moved our bath salts from plastic Mylar-style bags into glass bottles. Our handmade soaps use simple paper cigar bands rather than fully enclosed packaging. And since 2023, we’ve packaged our bath bombs in Biolefin shrink film.
After three years of working with it, we’ve learned that packaging decisions are rarely perfect. There are benefits, drawbacks, costs and practical considerations that aren’t always apparent until you’ve actually used a material in production.
Here’s why we chose Biolefin for our bath bombs, how we use it in our studio, and what we’ve learned along the way.
Why Do Our Bath Bombs Need to Be Wrapped?
It would be easy to assume that using no packaging at all is the simplest solution.
For bath bombs, that’s not particularly practical.
Bath bombs react to moisture, which means humidity can affect the product before it ever reaches someone’s bath. They’re also relatively fragile. An unprotected bath bomb can chip, crumble or become damaged while being packed, shipped to a retailer, placed on a shelf and handled by customers.
Scent preservation matters to us as well.
Our bath bombs are scented with essential oils rather than synthetic fragrance oils or added scent boosters. Leaving them exposed for extended periods can allow that scen to fade.
Wrapping creates a protective barrier around the bath bomb and helps it reach the customer in the condition in which we intended it to be used.
For wholesale products, that protection becomes even more important. A bath bomb may travel from our studio in Mount Hope, Ontario to a retailer, be unpacked and displayed, and then spend time on a shelf before eventually travelling home with a customer.
Packaging has a real job to do.
Why Clear Packaging Matters to Us
Once we knew our bath bombs needed protection, we had another consideration:
We didn’t want to hide them.
One of the things that makes our bath bombs distinctive is their appearance. Depending on the variety, we use natural colourants such as clays and incorporate botanicals including flowers and herbs.
Those details are meant to be seen.
We’ve found this particularly important with retailers such as spas, floral shops and garden centres. The visible botanicals complement those environments beautifully and allow the bath bombs themselves to become part of a display.
Clear film gives us the protection we need without putting the product inside an opaque package.
That’s something we’ve come to value more with experience: good packaging doesn’t necessarily have to be the first thing a customer notices. Sometimes its job is to protect the product while allowing the product to speak for itself.
Why We Chose Biolefin Shrink Film
We began using the National Shrink Wrap system and Biolefin film in 2023.
Environmental considerations were one of the reasons we were attracted to Biolefin. The supplier markets Biolefin as an oxo-biodegradable polyolefin film.
At the time, that positioning appealed to us because it aligned with other packaging changes we were making throughout ashbury BLOOM•.
But environmental considerations weren’t the only reason.
We also needed a packaging system that could work efficiently in a small-batch production environment.
The National Shrink Wrap system allows us to prepare several bath bombs together rather than treating every bath bomb as a completely separate packaging process. When you’re producing bath bombs regularly and fulfilling wholesale orders, those small efficiencies can make a significant difference in production time and labour.
So our choice came down to a combination of factors:
- protecting the bath bomb from humidity, damage and handling;
- helping preserve its essential-oil scent;
- keeping our botanicals and natural colours visible;
- making our production process more efficient; and
- choosing a packaging option that fit our broader approach to thoughtful packaging.
It wasn’t about finding a “perfect” package. It was about finding one that could realistically meet the needs of the product and our business.
How We Package Our Bath Bombs in Our Studio
One thing we’ve learned after years of manufacturing bath and body products is that packaging can look very different in practice than it does on paper.
Once our bath bombs have fully set and dried, we begin the wrapping process.
We place them on a heat-resistant mat and generally position three bath bombs at a time inside the Biolefin film. We seal that section and continue adding and sealing until we have prepared up to nine bath bombs.
Once they’re positioned, we use a heat gun to shrink the film.
We rotate each bath bomb as we work, smoothing the film closely around it and making sure we aren’t leaving bubbles or loose sections behind.
One simple addition has made this process considerably easier: a heat-protection glove.
It’s similar to the protective gloves often used with hair straighteners or curling tools. It allows us to hold and rotate the bath bomb while applying heat and getting the film tight and smooth without feeling as much heat against our hands.
It’s a small production detail, but it’s one of those things you discover only after repeatedly doing the job yourself.
Once each bath bomb is wrapped, we apply our label and prepare the finished products for storage or shipping.
Our labels now state:
“Packaged in Biolefin shrink film.”
There Was a Learning Curve
Switching packaging systems also meant changing equipment and learning a new production process.
Getting the film smooth and tight takes practice. So does learning how much heat to apply and how to rotate the bath bomb while the film contracts around it.
Bath bombs also aren’t particularly cooperative objects to line up.
They’re round.
When we’re preparing several at once, occasionally one rolls. Because our bath bombs can have botanicals sitting on their surface, a rolling bath bomb can mean losing some of those decorative botanicals before it is wrapped.
It’s a relatively small inconvenience, but it’s a good example of why we don’t believe there’s such a thing as a packaging solution with absolutely no compromises.
How Has Biolefin Performed After Three Years?
For our bath bombs, it has performed well.
We’ve used it since 2023 through regular production, storage, wholesale shipping and retail handling.
The film provides the protection we need while keeping the bath bomb visible.
Customers can see its colour and botanicals without opening anything, while retailers can incorporate the bath bombs into displays without hiding the details that make the product attractive.
We’ve also found that people often don’t realize they’re looking at Biolefin film.
Visually, it looks much like ordinary clear shrink film.
That was one of the reasons we originally identified the packaging on our labels. Going forward, we’re using the more specific wording “Packaged in Biolefin shrink film” so customers know exactly what material we’ve chosen without making a broader environmental promise on the label.
The Downsides We’ve Experienced
There are trade-offs.
Biolefin is more expensive for us than conventional shrink film.
We’ve also found it more difficult to source, although it is available to us in Canada. The rolls themselves are heavy, which increases what we pay to have them shipped.
Those costs matter to a small manufacturer.
It’s easy to discuss packaging choices without talking about margins, but packaging has to make financial sense too. If a material significantly increases the cost of producing a product, that eventually has to be absorbed by the business or reflected in the price paid by the retailer and customer.
There’s another limitation we’ve discovered through our shower steamers.
Why We’re Testing Thicker Biolefin for Our Shower Steamers
Our bath bombs aren’t the only product for which we’ve considered Biolefin.
We’re currently testing a thicker gauge of the film for our shower steamers.
The challenge is our formulation.
We make our shower steamers with a strong concentration of essential oils because the scent needs to travel from the shower floor into the surrounding shower environment.
During our testing, we’ve found that essential oil can sometimes migrate through thinner film.
That becomes a particular problem because our shower-steamer labels are paper. If the essential oil reaches the label, the paper can absorb it and the label can become damaged.
We’re therefore experimenting with a heavier gauge to see whether it provides the protection the formulation requires.
The test isn’t finished yet.
And we think that’s worth saying.
Manufacturing isn’t always a matter of finding something that works for one product and assuming it will work for everything else. Packaging needs to be tested with the actual formulation it will protect.
Biolefin has worked well for our bath bombs. We’re not prepared to say the same about our shower steamers until we’ve finished testing it.
Being Thoughtful About Packaging Claims
When we first chose Biolefin in 2023, one of the things that appealed to us was its biodegradable positioning. Biolefin is described by its supplier as an oxo-biodegradable polyolefin film.
As we’ve learned more about packaging, we’ve also learned that environmental terms can be complex and often depend on how and where a material is disposed of. Canadian guidance encourages businesses to be specific and careful when communicating environmental claims.
For that reason, we’ve chosen to keep our packaging language simple and transparent. Our bath bomb labels now state:
“Packaged in Biolefin shrink film.”
For us, Biolefin continues to be a practical choice because it protects our bath bombs, helps preserve their scent, keeps their natural colours and botanicals visible, and works efficiently within our small-batch production process.
We continue to review our packaging choices as new materials and options become available.
Packaging is a series of trade-offs.
| What we consider | Why it matters to us |
|---|---|
| Product protection | Bath bombs need protection from humidity, handling and shipping |
| Scent preservation | We want to help protect their essential-oil aroma |
| Product visibility | Customers can see the natural colours and botanicals |
| Production efficiency | Packaging needs to work at our manufacturing volume |
| Material choice | We want to understand what we’re actually using |
| Cost | Specialty packaging has to work within real small-business margins |
| Shipping | Heavy packaging supplies can increase transportation costs |
| Product compatibility | The same film doesn’t necessarily work equally well with every formulation |
We think that’s a more useful way to talk about packaging than simply putting everything into “good” and “bad” categories.
Different Products Need Different Packaging
You won’t find one packaging material used across everything we make.
Our handmade soaps use paper cigar bands.
Our bath salts are packaged in glass bottles after we moved away from plastic Mylar-style bags.
Our candles use reusable glass vessels.
Our room sprays use aluminum bottles.
And our bath bombs use Biolefin shrink film.
Those decisions aren’t identical because the products aren’t identical.
A soap bar doesn’t have the same packaging requirements as a bath bomb. A bath salt doesn’t have the same requirements as a room spray. And, as our current shower-steamer testing is demonstrating, even products that look somewhat similar can interact differently with packaging.
What We’ve Learned About Packaging as a Small Business
Our view today is fairly simple:
Choose the most practical option you can while still protecting the product.
We care deeply about nature, natural ingredients and wellness, and those values influence the decisions we make at ashbury BLOOM•.
But we’re also a small manufacturer.
Specialty packaging costs more. Some materials are harder to source. Packaging supplies themselves have to be shipped. Products need to survive transportation. Wholesale margins have to remain workable. And damaged or unusable products create waste of their own.
That’s the reality behind packaging decisions that customers don’t always get to see.
We don’t believe we’ve reached a point where there’s one perfect packaging solution for every product.
Instead, we continue to look at what we’re using, reduce packaging where it makes sense, change materials when we find a better practical option and test new ideas before introducing them across a product line.
A More Thoughtful Approach to Bath Bomb Packaging
Three years after switching to Biolefin, we continue to use it for our bath bombs because it does the practical job we need it to do.
It protects the product.
It helps us preserve the scent.
It allows customers to see the colours and botanicals.
It performs well through wholesale shipping and retail handling.
And the National Shrink Wrap system allows us to package multiple bath bombs efficiently in our small-batch production process.
We’ve also learned that environmental packaging is more complicated than choosing something labelled “green.”
Our approach now is to be specific about what we use, transparent about why we use it and realistic about its limitations.
For our bath bombs, that currently means:
Packaged in Biolefin shrink film.
And as we continue learning, testing and improving our packaging, we’ll continue asking the same question that led us here:
How can we protect the product properly while making thoughtful, practical packaging choices?
