Loot Toys
Loot Toys is a local Vancouver business creating made in Canada bath products for kids. Scroll down to learn more about this awesome Canadian business!
What inspired you to start your business?
We hand-make bath products for small kids. It all started with my now 17 year old son, Elijah, who was very eczemic as a toddler. Bath water, soaps etc. all stung when he had flare ups. My mom was visiting from South Africa and brought some kids bath bombs. The effect on Elijah was pronounced. They softened his skin, reduced inflammation and eased his pain (and fear of the bath tub). I spent the next year or so figuring out what works and what doesnt (it helped that my Toronto-based aunt was a pediatric dermatologist). More than Elijah, his friends loved the bath bombs (they had a collectible sponge toy inside) so much that I realised I had a possible business. There was nothing like this on the market in Canada and the US at the time, that catered to kids 3-8 and focused on not just fun but also promoted skin-friendly, safety approved and hand-made bath bombs, bubble baths and bath salts.
How do you describe your business?
We hand-make fun, skin-friendly bath products for small kids. Our focus is on making bath time a fun, bonding experience between small kids and their carers, while also soothing dry-skin conditions which seem to be more prevalent than I remember from my youth.
We spend a lot of effort on sourcing high quality, safety tested, non-GMO materials. We focus on North American raw materials as much as is available. All our processes are manual, using basic kitchen equipment (bowls, whisks, measuring cups, scales etc). We document everything so we are able to revisit formulas and improve as new materials become available. Our core values are built into our products: Bath time should be a fun, end-of-day experience for kids and their parents; and that ingredients that soothe dry-skin conditions should be built into our products.
Our products are all certified as safe through rigorous independent safety testing in labs approved by Health Canada. As far as we can tell, we are the only Canadian brand that focuses on small kids and also safety tests for kids 3 and above. All our products are 99% natural (colour is the only synthetic, and we use a safe synthetic version that is small-batched for us when we order). Our on-going aim is to find a 100% natural colourant that is safe to meet our four safety criteria – non-staining, non-irritating to skin, safe to ingest and does not cause UTIs. Apart from colours, we only use natural, skin-safety tested materials, and also make a small, but growing range of hypo-allergenic products for kids who react to colour and fragrance.
As new team members join us, they spend about 1-2 weeks learning about our principles and production techniques (we have a really wonderful, informal and supportive team-based culture). Like me, most of Loot’s employees are immigrants. This is a really important part of our work culture: Immigration to Canada is difficult for most – and we provide as much support as we can, while creating a safe environment where the stresses of immigration are replaced with fun, camaraderie and deep respect. A cool fact: We are 12 people at Loot and speak 10 languages.
What’s your bestselling product?
The Bath Squiggler – our first product, a coloured & scented bath fizzy with cute sponge character inserted. Squigglers are packed in singles (a choice of 6 colour/scent versions) or in our most popular SKU, a 7-unit Gift Pack.
Why do you think it’s so popular?
The joy of fizzing bath bombs is a proven delight with small kids, but the sponge that pops out is the thing that really animates kids and gets them to jump in the tub. There are over 60 different sponge characters in four colours and we regularly introduce new shapes to keep the collection fresh. Squigglers are made by hand using round molds. Batches of bath fizzy materials are mixed together in a way not dissimilar to hand mixing cake or cookie batter. Once molded, they stay in the mold for 24 hours to cure and are then prepped and packed into retail packages. We also produce a hypo-allergenic version called Moon Bombs without colour or scent and with added colloidal oats and oils to help nourish dry, sensitive skin.
What’s your personal favourite product?
I love our Bubble Whoosh – a powdered bubble bath formula. Its a really gentle, moisturising bubble bath with an exceptional, organic, coconut derived surfactant (the component that makes bubbles and helps to draw dirt from the skin). It has no SLS or other chemical nasties and was the first product we conceived of ourselves. We have 6 versions right now – five colour that water and scent the air and one is hypo-allergenic. We are currently developing three more uncoloured versions with plant-based fragrance oils as we push to become 100% natural.
What’s your favourite local British Columbia business?
HK BBQ Masters in Richmond BC. Amazing Hong Kong style BBQ house!
