| "The blistering funk-metal band Primus is blaring from a CD player in the back room where Charlie Snidener, master soapmaker, is overseeing a new batch of frankincense and myrrh soap and showing off his latest tattoo." ""It's from Lemony Snicket," he says, lifting his pant leg to show the tattoo to his boss, Emily Voth, owner of Indigo Wild, a natural body products company tucked away in a small Kansas City business park." "Voth, 40, is more than willing to chat about books, tattoos, and the energy that she and her employees bring to her burgeoning company, which for more than a decade has been tapping into the crowded U.S. bath and shower product market." "But she winces at the sight of Snidener's day-old ankle tattoo; it looks a little enflamed." ""Put some Zum Rub on it, or Scab Dab," she tells him, yanking off one of her large silver hoop clip-on earrings. "I hate needles so much, I can't even get my ears pierced."" "Products like Zum Rub, Scab Dab, ("Voodoo in a tin"), and Bath Hum Zum Glow in a Glass, along with Indigo Wild's signature $5 soaps, all of which are made onsite without chemicals or artificial ingredients, have helped Indigo Wild achieve double-digit annual growth in the past few years, despite a slow down in the U.S. bar soap market." "In 2000, that market was valued at about $1.5 billion. By 2006, the market, which doesn't include natural products, had dropped to about $1.2 billion, according to market research firm Euromonitor International." "Consumers have also been seeking environmentally friendly materials, like the soy wax, shea butter and essential oils that go into Indigo Wild soaps and other products. And as retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. start selling organic products, the move to natural appears a strong one, said Rachael McFarland, U.S. cosmetics analyst with Mintel International." ""Once upon a time it was kind of like we assumed it was more hippies and tree-huggers who used natural products. But it's not that way anymore," McFarland said. "It's a serious trend, and it's not going away anytime soon."" "Overall sales of natural body care products grew 16.6 percent last year, from about $583 million in 2005 to $679 million in 2006, according to SPINS, a market research and consulting firm for the natural products industry." ""I have had consultants come in here, and they just look around and shake their heads and say `What's going on? This is way too chaotic.'"" "In its current location, most of the walls at Indigo Wild are painted purple and adorned with signs like "Girls Must be Obeyed." Several
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