We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dane Berkshire a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dane, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

When it comes to being a small fish in a big pond — like being a small business in an industry dominated by big box conglomerates — the question is always “How can I stand out?” or “What sets me apart from everyone else?”. And while I appreciate the intention of those questions, I prefer to take a different approach: “What brings me joy?”

I find that joy is my best motivator. When I come from a place of joy, it radiates outward and affects everything it touches. It’s palpable and contagious and everything becomes easier. But best of all, it really shows. My newest summer collection of candles, bath bombs, lotions, sugar & salt scrubs, and perfumes is inspired by my love of all things PINK and holographic.

Pink really brings out the joy in so many people (not just me!), so I truly went all out! Everything is pink; from my website, to my business cards, to the labels, to the lotion pump tops — when you see PINK, you see JOY.

Dane, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Berkshire Bathery began in May 2020 as a humble hobby to help make ends meet after the pandemic shut down the film industry. As a full-time actress who has appeared in many national television commercials, films, and tv shows (most recognized for the Cargurus commercials), quarantine effectively eliminated my only source of income, so I had to “act” fast.

At the time I was living in Los Angeles and had just begun selling my art, but after long days on my feet painting large-scale canvases, my body ached all over. Nightly bath soaks in Epsom salts to soothe my muscles helped, but I wanted something better, something stronger, something truly opulent. I wanted bath bombs that left me and my skin feeling pampered, silky soft, nourished and smelling like my favorite perfumes.

Soon my love of art and all things bath-related fused together and led me to make my own hand-crafted artisan bath bombs packed full of ultra-luxe ingredients like coconut milk, kaolin clay, crushed roses, and almond oil. Now, two years later, I have an extensive catalog of over 400 unique products including luxury wooden wick candles, jumbo lip balms, whipped body butter, handmade soaps, beard oils, and hand-whipped shaving cream.

Each Berkshire Bathery product is handmade by me, using premium raw materials for exquisite finished products that deliver something different. I custom blend every fragrance to create wildly unusual, master-crafted, and deftly designed olfactory experiences, not just to merely stand out, but to carve out and inhabit an entirely new and unique space.

I take every purchase seriously and endeavor to earn it each and every time.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Yes, absolutely. 100% yes. I am a one-woman manufacturing mad scientist who hand makes everything from scratch! I hand pour every candle, hand pack every bath bomb, hand mix every sugar scrub, hand blend every perfume. I design my own labels and print them myself. I take all my own photos and film every every TikTok myself. I even designed and created my entire website from scratch! I custom blend all my own scents so that each one has over 18 different unique scent notes. Last summer I apprenticed with a chemist to create my own original Hyaluronic acid face serum formula!

As the owner of a small business I wear a thousand hats. I am not only the owner and operator, I’m the business manager, the designer, the creator, the advertiser, the social media director, the photographer, the IT support, the website developer, the finance department, the tax accountant, the money manager, the buyer of supplies, the packaging department, the courier, the shipper, the pop up market vendor, and so much more.

How did you build your audience on social media?

As an artist, I live to create. Creating art makes me happy and inspires joy, and I love to share my joy with the world, so social media is the quickest and easiest way to do that. Plus it’s another form of art in and of itself!

Creating fun TikToks, doing colorful photoshoots, and sharing my pop up calendars via my instagram story give me the opportunity to connect with my followers with a whole new dynamic that leaves a lasting impression of fun and joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.berkshirebathery.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/berkshirebathery
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/berkshirebathery
• Other: @BerkshireBathery on TikTok