Learn what toiletries are necessary for your place of business. Whether you are a hotel, resort, inn, bed and breakfast or spa, personal bathroom products can be a key ingredient to your overall experience or package. What you put in place for your guests leaves a lasting impression, and you should be mindful as to the appearance of your guest bathrooms or display areas.

Bulk toiletries and travel toiletries come in many shapes and form. From shampoos to conditioners to mouth washes and more, you can find toiletry sets to single items in a wide variety of prices and qualities for your clients and uses.

To learn more about toiletries types and styles:

1. Soap should be one of your first toiletry items to purchase.

2. Lotion is another toiletries option for your hotel, spa or bed and breakfast.

3. Consider high end men and women's toiletries for the top-of-the line spa or hotel experience.

4. Buy everything as bulk toiletry sets to save money.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Start with bulk toiletries soap

Use soap as your first toiletries to purchase wholesale.

I recommend: Purchase travel size soap and shower gel products from L'OCCITANE. They are a French company that distributes products worldwide, including in the US. They pride themselves in being socially responsible, and champion for the causes of literacy and supporting women in developing countries, fighting against blindness and the preservation of threatened traditional cultivations. Their travel size toiletries are US Department of Homeland Security Transportation of Security Administration approved. Reliable Paper offers many styles of wrapped bar soaps to add to your list of toiletry items.

Buy lotion as another wholesale toiletries item

Lotions are useful toiletry items that will make your customers happy.

I recommend: Think about the Rusk Body Lotion from JerseyTowelSupply.com. Buy hotel or motel hand or body lotion from Hotel Supplies-Online.

Consider luxury personal bathroom products and toiletries

Luxury toiletries and personal bathroom products make for a wonderful additional to any high end spa or hotel.

I recommend: Hoteliers can consider luxury toiletries from Gilchrist & Soames, headquartered out of Indianapolis. They use rich English formulations and botanical ingredients to provide unique hair, bath and body products. Purchase high end personal bathroom products at From Nature With Love. Products in their all-natural lines include fibers from sisal, jute, hemp, ramie, boar bristle and loofah.

Buy your wholesale toiletries in sets to save money

Consider purchasing your toiletries as sets to save on purchasing your lotions, your shampoos, your soaps and everything all at one time.

I recommend: Shop National Hospitality Supply to bulk order purchase many wholesale toiletries at once. Consider the soap, shampoo, toiletries and other personal bathroom products available from Supplies-for-Hotels. Their toiletry distributors carry a wide variety of brands and fragrances.

The market for toiletries and travel toiletries is enormous, and to get a piece of it, business owners must offer the best goods available at extremely competitive prices. The key to being able to price your products low and still earn a profit is purchasing the products you need at the lowest possible cost. Finding good toiletry distributors and wholesalers is one great way to do just that.

As you start your search for reputable wholesalers and distributors:

1. Begin looking for bulk toiletries from wholesalers and suppliers you already trust, if possible, or even from those you have heard about from other business owners in your industry.

2. Anticipate your customers' every need by providing them with the option of travel size toiletries in every area that you also offer standard size products.

3. Look for even the most specific bulk toiletries and personal bathroom products at online retailers who specialize in exactly what you need.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Begin your search with large, well-known toiletry wholesalers

Mass retailers and huge wholesalers are great places to look for basic toiletry items at lower than average prices. These are the places to start looking for supplies if you need to lower your cost of doing business.

I recommend: Check into online companies that sell toiletries wholesale, like DollarDays, which sells every personal bathroom product imaginable. For a more specific array of offerings, try Scentiments for discount fragrances for men and women, or ToiletSavings.com for low-cost toiletry sets.

Offer travel toiletries as a way to rake in extra profits

Many consumers choose to purchase travel size toiletries to take with them on vacation, business trips or even on a daily basis to the office. They are convenient and popular, especially if one is traveling by plane and has a very limited amount of space in which to pack. Stock travel size women's toiletries and men's toiletries to be sure you reach out to every piece of this lucrative market segment.

I recommend: Search websites like minimus.biz, which sells nothing but personal and travel size products, including toiletries. Fullers' Soaps Co. provides bulk travel size toiletries that are marketed directly toward the hotel owner or innkeeper.

Find even the most unusual or specialized toiletries wholesale online

The Internet makes it easy to get even hard-to-find toiletries and related products for your business at very reasonable prices.

I recommend: SKS Bottle & Packaging, Inc. is a company that sells a wide variety of plastic travel size containers and toiletry travel kits for the consumer who doesn't wish to purchase an entirely new supply of their personal care products in miniature. Drugstore.com is a great resource that offers a huge variety of products (and even offers free shipping!), and for those extra picky customers, Reforma Group will contract with business owners to produce customized personal care products.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Discover which toiletry distributors and wholesalers other business owners in your area purchase from, try an online blog or chat with business owners from all over to get an even better picture of what's available to you and what works for others in your position.

Everyone uses toiletries every day. Offering these items to your guests shows them that you think ahead about their needs. Regardless of the rate of your hotel, guests will be sure to remember if you provide them with all of the toiletries they need during their stay. This is especially true since all of the regulations regarding air travel limit the quantity of toiletries allowed on planes.

As with all hospitality related items, the toiletries pricing and costs will affect just how much you are able to provide for your guests. Consider the following suggestions to help you prepare your budget in a way that allows you to provide the best toiletries you can for the money you have available:

1. Save money by making your own hospitality toiletry baskets.

2. Offer prepackaged toiletries that meet TSA standards.

3. Make the toiletries work for your company by purchasing promotional toiletries.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider the cost of loose toiletries

If you don't want to be limited to gender specific toiletries, consider purchasing individual toiletries. These are usually sold by the case. They are available in full size and travel size. If you want to be able to offer men's toiletries and women's toiletries, consider purchasing these items, which you can use to customize toiletries according to your guests.

I recommend: Minimus.biz sells individual travel sized toiletry items. Items range from under $.10 for nail polish remover pads to higher than $10 for aftershave. Items can be purchased individually instead of only by the case. This company offers free shipping on items if the total order amount is over $20. Village Distributors sells bulk toiletries. Some items, such as diaper rash ointment start at around $30 per case. Name brand mouthwash starts around $100 per case. This company also offers wholesale toiletries at prices significantly lower than the bulk rate, sometimes at half the price of the bulk sales.

Opt for travel packs of toiletries

Due to air travel regulations, only limited amounts of toiletry items are allowed on airplanes. You can make it easier on your guests to travel by offering them prepackaged toiletry sets for them to travel with on the way home. By doing this, you are showing your guests that you are aware of the difficulties associated with traveling and that your establishment is willing to do whatever it takes to make traveling easier. Some of these kits include only shampoo and conditioner. Others include safety razors, soap and a towel.

I recommend: Dollar Days sells prepackaged toiletry sets. This company sells only by the case. Sets are priced as low as $4 per set and higher than $70 per set. The price per case varies depending on the quantity of sets per case. TW-Ease.com sells travel toiletries that meet TSA standards for air travel for under $20 per kit. It offers a 10 percent discount on orders over $500.

Promote your business using toiletries

People use toiletries every day. You can stretch your advertising dollar by offering promotional toiletries to customers. Although they are more expensive, consider purchasing toiletries that include a reusable travel bag to have more impact on your customers. Unlike single use toiletries, reusable bags can remind the customer of your company for a long time to come.

I recommend: You can find personal bathroom products at ePromos.com. All of the items are fully customizable. Prices start lower than $1 per piece. Minimum quantities apply and there is a set up fee on all items, which averages $50. Branders.com is one of the toiletry distributors that offers customization on the products it sells. Prices range from under $1 for lip balm to higher than $15 for executive toiletry sets.

The United States has always been a leader in cosmetic innovation and entrepreneurship. Lotions, shampoos, deodorants and toothpastes fall under the category of toiletries. They are used on a daily basis by men and women alike. Toiletries are personal care products. They are usually marketed with promises of bettering the individual. Consumers, many times, do not know or understand much more about the terminology of these products than what the market declares. Because consumers desire that youthful look or those pearly white teeth, they purchase products that may not be the best for them. To really benefit from personal care products, consumers should look into the make-up of the product. Understanding the real jargon of the industry can disclose a wealth of information.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Paraben-free

Paraben-free indicates that particular toiletry's bases and concentrates have been designed free of parabens and harsh surfactants. Parabens are a controversial group of chemicals used as preservatives in certain cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. While studies have shown parabens to be a safe addition to some products, it has been declared by some that the use of parabens poses a health issue. Many companies are catering to the health-conscious and are pronouncing their toiletries free of such chemicals.

I recommend: Learn about parabens and why you should avoid them at The Good Human.

Essential oils and carrier oils

An essential oil is a concentrated liquid extracted from plants and used as an ingredient in personal care products. Essential oils can be inhaled or applied to the skin. While many fragrance oils and essential oils are safe to use, they should be researched properly as many cannot be used full strength on the skin. A carrier oil is an extract used to suspend or carry a fragrance or essential oil. Carrier oils are skin-safe. Commonly used carrier oils are olive oil and grapeseed oil.

I recommend: Aroma Web explains the difference between carrier oils and essential oils. Dean Coleman Herbal Luxuries tells how essential oils are extracted.

Viscosity

Viscosity is the measurement of a liquid and its resistance to movement and flow. Some personal care products, such as mouthwashes, eyedrops and lotions, have a thin viscosity. Others, such a toothpastes and liquid hand soaps, have a thicker viscosity. Manufacturers produce toiletries in a variety of viscosities to appeal to a wider market.

I recommend: Learn more about viscosity in personal care products in Liquid Detergents by Kuo-Yann Lai. Go to The ASME Digital Library for more on viscosity and personal care products.

Saponifier Magazine

This magazine is known for its support of handcrafted soap, toiletries, cosmetics, and candles. It includes industry updates as well as a directory of supplies and services for those in the cosmetic and toiletries industry.

I recommend: Explore or subscribe to Saponifier Magazine at the company's website.

CTFA

The Cosmetics, Toilet Goods, and Fragrances Association, now known as the Personal Care Products Council is an organization that helps consumers better understand safety issues in the personal care products and cosmetics industry.

I recommend: Learn more about the Council and how it operates at CosmeticsInfo.org.

IUPAC

IUPAC is the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry. This organization ordains rules and standards for the declaration and naming of any pure chemical. An international standard of names and symbols, as well as weights and measures of chemical solutions is important for the continued development of cosmetics and toiletries as pertaining to international trade and commerce.

I recommend: Learn more about IUPAC and what it does at their website.