I’ve never been the person who had a lot of knowledge about skincare and the products I used on my body. The same soaps and scrubs I found as a teen at the local drugstore were what I brought into my 20’s and 30's because I didn’t know any better.

Thankfully a few years ago I met Natasha and Jennifer. I visited Naked Bar Soap Co. after realizing it was in my College Park neighborhood. After a few visits and sessions with their products, I realized what I had been missing in my personal regimen. Products that not only worked, but that were made by someone I could speak to, explain my skin issues to, and then have them explain to me exactly what was in each item.

Now, my bathroom counter that still has store-bought items, although with a much more discerning eye from what I’ve learned from these women, is also packed with salt bars, lip balms, facial scrubs, serums, oils, and the best natural deodorant I’ve ever used. 

Natasha Byrd-Gaylon started Naked Bar Soap Co. in 2013 when her son’s skin condition prompted her to start making natural products. Later, Jennifer Peets joined as her partner, and the College Park shop where they make everything in-house opened in 2015.

Over the past few years, I’ve watched their business grow, but I’ve also seen how having a brick and mortar in a popular neighborhood didn’t translate into immediate success or support. They’ve fought hard and hit significant roadblocks, all while quietly expanding their business but paying little mind to publically patting themselves on the back. As Jennifer would say and often quotes to herself and others, “sit down, be humble.”   

They are as real and genuine as the brand name that defines their products. For their business, the term “naked” means undisguised, blatant, and devoid of concealment. There are no questionable or unrecognizable ingredients in their products. That definition also suits their personalities and beliefs quite well. 

LH: Let’s talk about your products first. What currently are some of your best selling products?

Natasha: Online, it’s soap and pit cream. Pit Cream is in almost every single order.  

Jennifer: In the shop, sugar scrubs and bath bombs are popular because it’s easier for people to smell them.

LH: You have so many amazing scents. How do you decide what you blend together?

Jennifer: “The idea is to have scents that match the season, but that is hard for Florida because you’re in an endless summer. Having an online store and a brick and mortar shop, the scents have to go to two different personalities. Someone in New England wants peppermint in December but we still have to cater to someone who is going to the beach and have citrus and peppermint. How we create often meshes the seasons together.”

Natasha: “We are collaborating with a new brand that launched a fragrance oil company.  With that collaboration, we are making products that will be in the scents they are making, and they smell so good.  We are going to branch out into more fragrance oils and not just essential oils.” 

LH: What is the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils?

Natasha: “Essential oils are made from the plant or the flower that it's named for.  It’s the natural oil that they extract from the plant or the fruit versus a fragrance oil which is a synthetic blend and it can be primarily made from the essential oil but there is a synthetic additive so it will enhance the scent and allow it to stay in the product.”

LH: Running a business online and in a brick and mortar requires multiple marketing strategies. How do you determine how to approach both sides of the business?

Natasha: “It’s hard to tell which side will give us the best ROI, but lately, we’ve been focusing on Google. Before we were focusing on Instagram marketing, but now having a google business site, we’ve gotten increased views for the local business. When people are here, and they search for soap shops, and we pop up first, and that makes a big difference.”

Jennifer: “Learning analytics is taxing, complicated, and boring, but you need to zero in on it. What we learned about selling both online and locally, is that they are two different beasts, and you have to feed them differently. All of the data we’ve compiled from our analytics has taught us how to handle each platform uniquely.”

Natasha: Yes, Jennifer has been pushing email marketing, and our online business has seen an increase." 

Jennifer:  “I learned from a friend that taught me you should not send every email to your entire audience, and you have to segment the emails and tailor them. Again, it’s hard and time-consuming, but it works. We’ve learned gone are the days where you post and wait for people to come to you. Also, trying to emulate what other people do won’t help you. You have to know your specific audience, the turnover of how often they purchase and create your own strategy. Find your niche within your niche.”

LH: Do you like being categorized as a women-owned business?

Natasha: “I do. In our industry, it’s important because mainly women are the ones buying our products, the men who also make purchases look for a woman’s opinion.”

Jennifer: “I don’t. It has its power, but you don’t need to say it. It shouldn’t be surprising that we are a women-owned business. To some, it’s surprising we are a black-owned business.”

Natasha: “…right, and it can be complicated being categorized as a black-owned business because then you get what happened with Honey Pot and people think the product isn’t for them.” 

Jennifer: “All of these different labels can be difficult because you are always going to be pigeonholed and deal with stigmas and issues, when in reality you are just two entrepreneurs creating a good product that literally any person can use, and that should be enough.” 

LH: What is one of the biggest misconceptions you think people have about being a small business owner?

Jennifer:  “That it’s easy, and anyone can do it. They see you on social media promoting your business, and they immediately think you are an expert when you, in reality, you are out here just trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents.”  

Natasha:  “I think there is a misconception about what success really looks like. I think they see people with a business, and they think automatically they are successful, and success is subjective. It’s a constant grind, every single day coming into the shop and figuring out inventory and timing, production, and marketing.”  

Jennifer:  “…like, factoring in tariffs and changes in the world that impact small businesses that no one talks about.”  

Natasha: “Yes, for example, suddenly we’re forced to switch out tins that we use. Due to tariffs they are no longer affordable, and they don’t make economic sense. They went up from 50 cents to $1.15. Those are the real-life small business curve balls that people don’t want to talk about; they just want to seem like they know how to handle all these out-of-left-field things you deal with as a business owner.”

Jennifer:  “The success of any product is broken down by our rent, utility, labor, time, etc., and we have to calculate what we get out of it. So what is success? Natasha is right, it is subjective. That’s why we don’t want to be asked to be on panels like we are experts, because we are juggling a business, entrepreneurship, motherhood, and still working on our success. If you talk to or read interviews of really successful people, many of them don’t think they’ve made it, they are still working to get to the next level. We know we are still on our way.”

LH: Beauty and skincare is a big business. How do you differentiate yourself and stay competitive?

Natasha: We have a lot of knowledge between the two of us. We put a lot of energy into figuring out different aspects of skincare and the ingredients we use, so we can give people the knowledge they need. It's a constant education. When customers visit us they don’t always know how to go about using certain products, and they leave feeling empowered. We spend a lot of time with them to make sure we answer all their questions and find them the best solutions for their skin issues. We are trying to educate and inform, not just sell products. We let customers try our pit cream before they buy it, we send them home with a small sliver of soap, so they know it works for them. This isn't a hobby, it's a business, and we take it seriously.”

Jennifer: “We get to know our customers. Some of them leave us notes in their order and we respond in handwritten notes back to them. We build a relationship with them, even if they aren’t local. We send them extra samples of products to try and surprise and delight them in ways we think they’ll appreciate, but will also give us valuable feedback. As great as Amazon is, the art of customer service is not lost at the Naked Bar.”

The Naked Bar Soap Co. is located at 1520 Edgewater Drive in College Park. You can also order online and have items shipped or if you live locally you can pick them up in the shop.

All images are property of LemonHearted Creative.