PERRY, Ga. — You may not think much about citric acid, but it's driving the price up for a lot of things you eat, drink, and even smell.
We went to Perry to speak to a small business owner who says citric acid's high price tag is squeezing her business.
At Mossy Creek Natural, they make all of their products out of raw materials, like citric acid, but recently, citric acid has gotten too expensive so they can no longer afford to make bath bombs.
Right now, it would cost Michelle Rhoades, owner of Mossy Creek Natural, too much money to make a single bath bomb.
"The whole raw material shortage, supply shortage, it's supply and demand, basically," Rhoades said.
She usually buys 50 pounds of citric acid at a time, and last year that cost her about $75. Now, 50 pounds of citric acid costs her more than $200. At that price, she'd have to raise the price of a bath bomb from $7 to $16.
Rhoades said, "That is too much of an increase for us to bear, so we've had to innovate, and innovation has included doing more bubble bars and bath salts."
But even if you don't buy bath bombs, you can find citric acid in sodas, lemon drops, sourdough bread, even mayonnaise. Mercer Economics Professor Antonio Saravia says one reason groceries are getting more expensive is the price of citric acid.
Saravia said, "What we are seeing with citric acid and much of these other commodities is that combination of the perfect storm -- low supply in one hand, increase in demand in the other."
"We're going through our supplies right now with the hopes that it comes back down before we completely run out," Rhoades said. "We have more than just bubble bars or bath bombs at the store, so we are able to pivot. We will start making more of those, and then when citric acid comes back down, we will make more bath bombs."
Rhoades believes she has enough citric acid to last her about a month. She's hoping to find a local citric acid seller who could sell it cheaper.