From Family Factory Roots to Supermarket Shelves: The Inspiring Rise of Good Bubble
For any parent who has ever wrestled a reluctant toddler into the tub, bath time can sometimes feel like a high-stakes negotiation. But behind the scenes of one of the UK’s favourite independent bath-time brands, the journey has been an exercise in true resilience, family roots, and sheer entrepreneurial grit.
Manchester-born sisters Amy Lister and Sally Wordsworth—the dynamic duo behind the award-winning children’s personal care brand Good Bubble—are celebrating a massive milestone this month: their beloved Gruffalo range is officially landing in 268 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.
It marks the brand’s first major UK supermarket listing for the range, and a testament to what happens when industry experience combines with an unwavering refusal to back down.
Deep Roots in the Industry
Growing up immersed in a family toiletries manufacturing business, Amy and Sally learned the ropes early. They understood the science of gentle skincare, but when Amy became a mother of three, she noticed a glaring gap in the market. They wanted products that were genuinely skin-kind and safe for sensitive little ones, free from harsh sulphates and artificial nasties, but packaged with the kind of fun, magical characters that make children actually want to get in the bath.
That insight birthed Good Bubble. Built from the ground up with no massive corporate conglomerate behind them, the sisters focused on skin-kind, vegan-friendly, and tear-free formulas utilizing natural ingredients like nourishing prickly pear extract. Over the years, they expanded their magical lineup to feature household names like The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, Stick Man, and Peppa Pig.
Weathering the Storm
Getting to supermarket shelves hasn’t been a walk in the park. In a market dominated by multinational giants with astronomical marketing budgets, independent founders have to fight tooth and nail for every inch of retail space.
Worse still, just a year prior, the Greater Manchester business faced a devastating blow when a warehouse fire destroyed over half of their stock. Rather than folding under the immense pressure, the sisters rolled up their sleeves. They reworked their operations, tightened supply chains, and leaned heavily on their loyal direct-to-consumer community to navigate the crisis.
“There is no big parent company behind us,” shares founder Amy Lister. “It’s just the two of us, and we’ve really been tested to think on our feet and respond quickly to highly stressful situations.”
A Major Milestone Ahead of a Milestone Book
The Sainsbury’s launch couldn’t be timed better. Landing on shelves just six weeks ahead of the release of Gruffalo Granny—the first new Gruffalo book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler in over two decades—the range brings trusted, gentle bathtime fun to high street shoppers nationwide.
For Amy and Sally, seeing their independent brand sit shoulder-to-shoulder with industry heavyweights is validation of an eight-year journey.
“When the big players start turning up in your aisle, it usually means you were right,” Amy reflects. “We have spent eight years proving that children’s bath time can be skin-kind, planet-friendly and fun at the same time. We’re still just two sisters from Manchester… and we still do a happy dance when we get a customer order.”
The Good Bubble Gruffalo Bubble Bath and Hair & Body Wash are available now across 268 Sainsbury’s stores and online at goodbubble.co.uk.
