Piney juniper with a hint of citrus. Sweet fruit and spice with a touch of bitter orange. These may sound like flavor notes in popular cocktails, but they’re actually fragrance combinations in a line of handcrafted soaps. For two of its sudsy bars, Etta + Billie (ettaandbillie.com), a Ventura-based maker of small-batch body-care products, takes olfactory cues from libations.
“I’m constantly inspired by the food and beverage world,” says CEO Alana Rivera, “so I wanted to capture the essence of some of my favorite classic cocktails— the gin and tonic and the negroni.”
After what she describes as “years of pushing paper around in corporate America and feeling deeply unsatisfied and utterly uncreative,” Rivera received a book about soapmaking as a gift from her mother. She credits it with sparking her creative, entrepreneurial journey.
“I combine highly effective natural ingredients to create products that are centered around my love of farm-to-table food culture and the connection it brings,” she says.
Originally published in the June 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine. Cover photo by Gary Moss. To see the story as it originally appeared click here.