A mother-of-three has opened her first bricks-and-mortar shop to cater for her rapidly growing natural soap and shampoo brand.

Anni Kriesche of Leyton started making soap at her kitchen sink in 2013 and has since served more than 250,000 satisfied customers from all corners of the globe.

The 49-year-old former fashion designer was inspired by her love of arts, crafts and traditional handmade techniques to launch the Funky Soap Shop.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Customers at the store in Leyton Industrial Village in Argall Avenue will be able to see a centuries-old soap-making technique in action.

Mrs Kriesche said: "I never saw myself as an entrepreneur, but I felt there was a gap in the market to develop a range of environmentally conscious handmade soaps and shampoos using traditional and natural techniques that have been used for centuries.

“Within months, the kids were coming home from school to find mum under a pile of soap bars.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

“As sales started to grow and customers kept coming back for more, I realised this was going to be a successful business.”

Things took off for the east London native when she started selling her products on Amazon and every year her sales have grown on average 30 per cent.

With her paraben-free soap bars, shampoo bars and liquid shampoos, the self-starter plans to shake up the cosmetics market one healthy product at a time.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Everything is made from 100 per cent natural ingredients, using pure oils and butters with a hot or cold processing method.

The Funky Soap Shop’s factory outlet and workshop is now open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.

To buy Funky Soap Shop's products online, click here.