How co-founders and sisters brought toxin-free home, bath and body products to East Cobb By Marie Muir
Urthy Scents candle and body product store opens this November at 1205 Johnson Ferry Road in Woodlawn Square Shopping Center. Co-founders and sisters, Ali East and Jen Rotondo, found the perfect space to set up shop in a storefront formerly occupied by Sally Beauty Supply.
Co- Founder Ali East
Co-Founder Jen Rotondo
Urthy Scents has come a long way from Ali and Jen’s early days of at-home experimentation making candles and soap in 2020. Since both sisters have beginnings of auto-immune disease, they were motivated to create clean products for themselves and the community. The hobby, born out of pandemic boredom, has since become a source of joy and empowerment.
“Scent helps curate a space, how people feel and how they react to their environment,” says Jen. “It was something I was really missing in my life.”
After feeling the positive impact of living toxin-free, Ali and Jen took their plant-powered products to the farmers’ market in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Urthy Scents’ grassroots success led to the grand opening of their Florida-based flagship store in 2022. Ali currently resides in Florida, the sisters’ home state, but Jen has lived in East Cobb for over 25 years. In 2023, they expanded Urthy Scents and brought a second location to Jen’s side of the South.
Ali and Jen had a successful linen business that they sold before launching Urthy Scents. Today, they continue to collaborate and join creative forces as business partners. Jen brings a marketing and culinary background to the table from The Art Institute of Atlanta while Ali contributes years of experience from fashion and design studies in New York and a lengthy career in linens. In addition to sharing a passion for entrepreneurship, both sisters successfully raised four adult children who now have families of their own.
Since first perfecting their clean-burning candles, Urthy Scents’ product line has grown to include non-toxic fine fragrances, home, bath and body goods. Ali and Jen broke down their 27-scent portfolio into nine collections that are easy to navigate. Phthalate-free fragrances such as ocean sea salt and wild rose capture nature in every scent. One fan-favorite product is the scent tower – a device that fills the entire home with sensational smell. Jen loves to just “set it and forget about it.”
Urthy Scents’ staff loves to help people discover sentimental or nostalgic scents as well as new, signature scents. Customers often walk in with one smell in mind, and walk out with a new favorite fragrance in hand.
According to Jen, smell is a very personal thing. Some scents conjure up memories or moods for people, while others remain unaffected. Urthy Scents’ team listens closely to client feedback to figure out what scent notes they like. Their goal is to help people find a fragrance that makes them happy. “Honestly, that’s what we strive for – to bring happiness to our local community,” says Jen.
Today she’s wearing Urthy Scents’ warm sands perfume, but tomorrow Jen might pick something more woodsy. If you don’t have a favorite fragrance, try reading Jen’s monthly “Two Scents’’ blog or taking the scent quiz at www.urthyscents.com. This winter, East Cobbers can start their own scent journey in-person at Urthy Scents’ new storefront. Don’t miss your chance to inhale a breath of fresh evergreen or campfire-inspired fragrances from their limited-edition holiday collection.
