A CHILDREN'S bath products' business in Ulverston has won its first industry award, just nine months after launching.

The Little Bathtime Company has been awarded a ‘best buy’ accolade at the Natural Beauty Awards 2016 organised by Green Parent magazine.

The prize went to its Cherry Berry Bubble Bath, which contains organic cherry and strawberry extracts as well as organic aloe vera to moisturise the skin.

Launched in November 2015 by Suzanne Higgins, the company has developed natural bath products for children that avoid the use of harsh chemicals.

All products in the range have been dermatologically tested and are paediatrician approved.

Mrs Higgins, 40, said: “This is a massive boost for us as we are still a very young company.

“To have one of our products recognised in this way makes all the hard work and effort which went into creating the formulas and packaging worthwhile.”

Mrs Higgins moved to Ulverston six years ago after her husband secured a job in the area. She opted to work from home rather than return to teaching so she could spend more time with children Sam, 10, Gabrielle, eight, and Jessica, six.

Inspired by them, she put years of work into perfecting a range of products before bringing them to market from her home office in Union Close. She worked with a certified formulations consultant to create mild and gentle formulas containing natural and organic ingredients.

The products are eco-friendly. Packaging is made from recyclable materials whenever possible and ingredients are biodegradable.

Mrs Higgins said: “I launched The Little Bathtime Company in November last year, but I was working with the formulator for well over a year to get the product spot on.

“I’ve been doing research for years because I couldn’t find products that appealed to children that didn’t have chemicals in them.

“My children were really the inspiration behind the company. My son has eczema and the bath products that appealed to him would irritate his skin and the natural products aren’t aimed at children so I bridged that gap.

“My children also helped me to design the bottles.

"My daughter likes fairies and at the time my son was really into dinosaurs, which is why we’ve got those characters on the bottles.”

As well as the award-winning Cherry Berry, lines include Green Apple and Sweet and Tangy Orange.

The company is exhibiting at the Harrogate Home and Gift Show this week (July 17-20), which attracts thousands of industry specialists.

Mrs Higgins said: “We spent a long time getting the design work right as well and it looks as though the hard work has paid off.

“We’ve now got stockists across the UK, we’ve got a stockist in the Scottish highlands and one at a dinosaur theme park in Wales.

“There’s a lot of hard work gone into the company and I’m really excited for what the future holds.”

You can find Little Bathtime Company products in Tantrum children's clothes or Squirrel gift shop in Market Street, Ulverston.

More online here at www.littlebathtimecompany.co.uk