Diane Cooke talks to a young entrepreneur who is taking markets by storm with his all-natural soap and body products

CHARLES Bolton’s entrepreneurial skills were evident at the age of 12 when he read a book about sewing and started to make felt badges for his friends at school.

Eight years later the Whalley innovator has swapped crafts for soap and artisan body products and Dirty Charlie, the name of his company, is taking local markets by storm.

Charles, 20, a former pupil of Bowland High School can thank Peter Jones, of Dragons’ Den fame for honing his business skills. For it was after winning a place at the business guru’s prestigious enterprise academy in Manchester that Charles learned how to capitalise on his creative talents.

“I learned how to make soap by watching a Youtube video. I started experimenting and selling to friends then I took my products to a wider audience. I’m a regular at local markets.”

He’s now developed a range which includes lip balms, bath salts and body butters and, of course, lots of soap — Key Lime Pie and Mango Cheesecake, which look good enough to eat, are favourites.

“I take basic soap recipes and twist them. My soaps are cold pressed and take six weeks to cure and they’re completely natural. They don’t contain chemicals which can dry out the skin, so they’re good for clients with excema.”

Charles has recently formulated a Tea Tree Oil soap which contains soothing Aloe Vera — a snip at just £4 a bar.

“It contains cocoa butter, shea butter and olive oil and it’s really good for problem skins. I occasionally get a break out of spots, so I know how effective it is.”

Another of his formulations is Lemonssential made with goat’s milk, lemon essential oil, cocoa and shea butters.

Charles started the business in the kitchen of his mother’s home, but has moved on to the garage — “my mum used to complain that I made too much of a mess.”

The soaps are sold wrapped in brown paper and secured with twine for a rustic look with a hand-stamped charm attached. Anyone who collects 10 charms receives a free bar of soap.

n Check out Charles’s website, craftsbycharlie.co.uk