When 25-year-old Chicago resident Tessa Medlock recently got engaged, her boyfriend didn't drop to one knee at a fancy restaurant, or do something cliché like put a ring at the bottom of a champagne glass.
Instead, he put the ring in a bath bomb.
Medlock drew a bath, and after the bomb had finished fizzling and bubbling, a small plastic container appeared--and inside was her engagement ring.
"He’s very creative," Medlock said. "I think he just wanted to do something a bit different."
Her fiancé's creativity gave Medlock the idea to start her own line of bath bombs, where each bomb would give the user a surprise just like the one she received.
In December, Medlock officially launched Pearl Bath Bombs, a company that makes natural, handmade bath bombs that each comes with a ring in the middle of every ball. After each bath bomb dissolves, a small plastic "pearl" emerges with a ring valued around $10. But each pearl comes with a redemption code where the user can enter to win an additional ring valued at up to $5,000, Medlock says.
Her family and friends loved the idea, but Medlock wasn't certain of its popularity until she posted an iPhone demo video to Facebook. The video went viral, amassing more than 3 million views in 24 hours and eventually climbing to over 10.4 million views. In just a few short months Peal Bath Bombs has gotten over 200,000 Facebook likes, and each of its videos has been viewed tens to hundreds of thousands of times.
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Snowed in? Warm up with a Pearl Bath Bomb - each one contains a ring! Tag a friend who bathes...
Posted by Pearl Bath Bombs on Thursday, February 4, 2016
"That (video) was really important," Medlock said. "I filmed the video because I thought it would be best for users to engage with something visually, and it really showcased how the product works. I think it's why it has been so successful."
Riding the viral wave from Facebook, Medlock saw a big enough demand to open a 3,000 square foot production center in Pilsen, where now each of the Pearl Bath Bombs are made (she previously made the bath bombs at her Chicago condo). The company has around 10 employees, most of which work in production.
Medlock says the startup has sold "tens of thousands" of bath bombs to date, but declined to give specific revenue numbers. Sales have so far come entirely from Pearl Bath Bombs' website, but Medlock says the company would like to expand to other retail partners. Business has peaked around holidays like Christmas and Valentines day, Medlock added, and the company is expecting another boost for Mother's Day.
"It's been pretty crazy," she said. "I launched at a really good time, right before Christmas. And I wasn’t sure what was going to happen after that. But after christmas it's only increased from there."
