The Columbus Junction-based maker of Bug Soother insect repellent has been purchased by a Marion company.

Organic lip care manufacturer, Eco Lips, has acquired Simply Soothing, producers of the handcrafted, DEET-free signature Bug Soother, whose sales accelerated in 2008 after the Iowa floods brought an infestation of bugs to the state. Eco Lips CEO Steve Shriver says the two companies complement each other well, “Eco lips is a seasonal business, we manufacture lip balm primarily and that’s sold typically in the cough and cold season, the winter months and so we’ve always been looking for something to offset that. A summer product, a bug repellent or a sun protection product, something like that and I’ve been admiring Freda’s work, Freda and Jim Sojka who own the company, Simply Soothing, who manufactures Bug Soother. Five years ago I met her and said if you ever need any help, or want to partner, or if you’re ever looking at exiting, give me a ring and it finally happened.”

Bug Soother is the eighth largest bug repellent brand in the United States and Shriver says Eco Lips is poised to service Simply Soothing’s existing customer base while, at the same time, adding distribution which already includes over 10,000 retail locations plus international distribution in the UK, Europe, Central America, Grand Cayman and Scandinavia.

Shriver says they will transition the manufacturing of Simply Soothing products from Columbus Junction to their new facility in Cedar Rapids. He says since both Iowa-based companies have largely seasonal employees, the merger will enable them to offer more full-time positions.