Her children inspired her.
That’s what Caitlyn Rhodes ’25 said when asked why she created her own soap company called Bubblegoat.
Now, she’s helping as many people as she can with her 100% natural products.
“Before being inspired to create Bubblegoat, I had a purpose,” said Rhodes, who’s pursuing a B.S. in Health Administration from SJNY Online. “That purpose was to create something completely natural to heal my daughter Raelyn and son Kailo’s eczema, rather than use prescription creams that only made them worse.”
Her online company, which she started in August 2023, has since garnered more than 500 loyal customers and boasts a 100% satisfaction rating.
The Story Behind Her Soap
Rhodes’ daughter Raelyn had one of the most severe cases of eczema her doctors had ever seen, and nothing seemed to help.
“I felt so helpless watching her in pain and discomfort, up all hours of the night,” Rhodes of Shoreham explained.
After spending a year and a half at doctor offices and hundreds of dollars on hypoallergenic products only to have Raelyn’s symptoms worsen, Rhodes understood she needed to take matters into her own hands.
“After studying my children each day, I knew what their triggers were,” she said. “I had read about goat milk helping with eczema, so I started my research from there. I knew I didn’t want to apply creams onto my kids’ skin just to seal it; I wanted to wash off whatever was triggering them.”
Rhodes then purchased goat milk soap for her children, but it didn’t help; it contained refined oils, dyes and fragrances, and its main ingredient was water rather than goat milk.
“I decided to create a goat milk soap using 100% fresh goat milk from my local farm as the liquid, and organic oils with ZERO preservatives, fragrances and dyes,” Rhodes said. “I didn’t want to add water because I wanted my bar of soap to leave a nice milky bath after washing so you can soak in it and really help relieve the skin.”
The Products
Rhodes’ products can be used for a variety of different purposes.
“It’s pretty much everything all in one,” she said. “One of my Bubblegoat bars not only replaces your body wash, but it also replaces your prescription creams, oatmeal packets, shampoo and even conditioner. I also feel for anyone with allergies, so I started to create custom soaps for people even if they have a milk allergy.”
Bubblegoat soaps have even healed skin conditions Rhodes didn’t expect, such as radiation rashes caused by cancer treatments.
“This purpose I had turned into an inspiration to heal as many babies as I can, and that’s what I plan to do,” Rhodes said. “My children inspired my business, and I’m forever grateful we had such a positive outcome from such a negative experience.”
In addition to selling a variety of soaps, Rhodes also offers shampoo, all-natural deodorant, body butter and organic lip balm.
The Degree
Rhodes is preparing for her future career aspirations with the help of SJNY Online’s health administration program.
“When I graduate, I would love to run a medical facility because I have a strong passion for helping people,” explained the 35-year-old, who also plans to continue growing her own business.
Caitlyn Rhodes ’25 with her children Jaidyn, Raelyn and Kailo.
And as a business owner and a mom with two young children who experienced a lot of medical issues, the online courses are helping Rhodes thrive.
“Having access to do schoolwork online has been an amazing opportunity for me because I always wanted to go back to school and never thought I would be able to pull it off,” she said. “Having this opportunity is helping me grow and learn, which in the end will provide an even better life for my family.
“I love doing school online because I never miss time with my children,” Rhodes continued. “I get the best of both worlds: being home with my children and receiving the education I always wanted.”
In addition to feeling thankful for the freedom and flexibility that SJNY Online offered her, Rhodes is also thankful for all the love and support she receives from her family.
“My biggest inspiration in life are my kids Jaidyn, 13; Kailo, 3; and Raelyn, 2; and my husband Nick,” she said. “They inspire me to grow more and more and be the best I can be.”
