The Columbus Junction-based maker of Bug Soother insect repellent has been purchased by a Marion company.
Organic lip care manufacturer, Eco Lips, has acquired Simply Soothing, producers of the handcrafted, DEET-free signature Bug Soother, whose sales accelerated in 2008 after the Iowa floods brought an infestation of bugs to the state. Eco Lips CEO Steve Shriver says the two companies complement each other well, “Eco lips is a seasonal business, we manufacture lip balm primarily and that’s sold typically in the cough and cold season, the winter months and so we’ve always been looking for something to offset that. A summer product, a bug repellent or a sun protection product, something like that and I’ve been admiring Freda’s work, Freda and Jim Sojka who own the company, Simply Soothing, who manufactures Bug Soother. Five years ago I met her and said if you ever need any help, or want to partner, or if you’re ever looking at exiting, give me a ring and it finally happen
Eco Lips Acquires Emergent Personal Care Company, Simply Soothing
Organic Lip Balm Brand Expands with Bug Soother Natural Bug Repellent
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MARION, Iowa, April 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Organic lip care brand leader, Eco Lips (
ecolips.com/), today announces the acquisition of Simply Soothing (simplysoothing.net/), a fellow Iowa-based personal care company responsible for bringing Bug Soother Insect Repellent to the market.
Similar to Eco Lips, Simply Soothing s brand values are centered on using good-for-you, natural ingredients. Founded in 2003, the company started small, but after the introduction of their handcrafted, DEET-free signature Bug Soother in 2008 sales really accelerated after the Iowa floods that brought the bugs.
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Eco Lips Buys Manufacturer of Bug Soother
A product that came into prominence after the 2008 floods and most certainly every summer since, including 2020 during the height of the derecho and pandemic, is now under the umbrella of another locally-based company known for its organic lip balm products.
Marion-based Eco Lips obtained distribution rights to an already locally-made product by acquiring the parent company of Bug Soother, Columbus Junction-based Simply Soothing.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports the partnership will help grow Bug Soother s distribution, according to Eco Lips owner and CEO Steve Shriver. Both Simply Soothing and Eco Lips products are currently distributed at over 10,000 retail locations each across the country. Despite that widespread availability, you seem to hear folks wondering how they can get their hands on some every summer. It s a great promotional product to give out during our on-location broadcasts and appearances (when we had them before the p