Lenie Ramos became concerned when her 8-year-old niece Noelani developed rashes and infections from soap.

Ramos checked into the bath products that were available for children and was surprised at the meager offerings.

“I was looking for something that didn’t have sulfates and that was very safe,” she said, “but it was rare that I found anything I was confident in, or that I felt was worth buying.”

Ramos, a graphic designer, had been looking for a career change and saw an opportunity. “I started looking into doing something myself,” she said.

So she immersed herself in research on natural skin treatments, and developed Little Twig products in a year a half. Ramos started the company in El Segundo with $65,000 of her savings, and support from family and friends. The products are free of sulfates and parabens. Those are chemicals that make soap last longer, but can also irritate skin.

Little Twig debuted at gift shows in 2003, and she had national distribution by the end of the year. Babystyle.com, a Web site popular with upscale health-conscious moms, picked up her products in 2004. The following year, she was a winner of the Make Mine a Million contest, then sponsored by American Express, for female entrepreneurs. The prize included a year of free business development advice and a $45,000 loan.

Last year, Ramos completed a reformulation of her product line to make every product organic. Soon after, she signed a deal to put her products on the shelves at Whole Foods Market Inc.

She also welcomed daughter T & #233;a. Ramos said that her “in-house test baby” is 6 months old now and that her presence reminds her of why she started her product line.

“We don’t want pesticides applied on a young child,” she said. She contends that non-organic soaps can allow pesticides to enter the bloodstream.

The organic bath and body market seems to be growing.

Ramos’ products are now sold in 400 stores throughout the U.S., and has some locations in Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. This year, she will focus on Asian distribution. She expects to pass $2 million in sales in the next three years. She has fewer than 10 employees.

It looks like competition will be fierce. Two L.A.-based organic body product companies have recently inked deals for distribution at discount chains. Target Corp. recently picked up California Baby and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recently debuted Noah’s Naturals. Even at the discount chains, California Baby and Noah’s products have fairly high retail prices that range from $6 to $15. Ramos’ products, which retail at high-end department stores and spas, are in the same range. They retail from $6, for diaper cream, to $15 for body milk, her best-selling item.