The Laundress Crafts a Careful Comeback

In November 2022, the Laundress’s shocking recall of nearly every product in its assortment—from its wildly popular Le Labo collaboration to baby detergent—shocked devoted fans of the luxe and purportedly “clean” brand. As it dealt with refunding customers, the brand simultaneously worked double time to get products back on the market, and to do so safely. In June, the Laundress shared its first non-recall post to Instagram since pulling products, and a press event was scheduled (though it was curiously canceled; executives from the Laundress provided responses to Bazaar.com via email).

Alissa Harris, a New York–based photo editor, first stocked up on bottles of detergent from the Laundress because she was trying to keep her routine more natural since having kids. “You always hear about, you know, how toxic the chemicals in our detergents are,” she tells Bazaar.com.

Harris’s favorite the Laundress x Le Labo detergent was $45—so she primarily used the brand’s products on her own items, like bedding. “Since it was so expensive and fancy, I wasn’t using it on a load of the kids’ stuff,” she says. Her children do sometimes sleep in her bed.

Three words describe the Laundress on its social platforms and website: “Exceptional fabric care.” But last November, that claim came under intense scrutiny.

On November 17, 2022, the brand posted a safety notice instructing customers to “immediately” stop using their products. “We have identified the potential presence of elevated levels of bacteria in some of our products that present a safety concern,” the caption read. Despite the brand’s assurance that “we are not aware of any adverse health impacts related to this issue,” there was, well, panic! in the laundry room.

The Laundress continued to share updates in the coming weeks, which eventually led to a full recall. “I’ve always felt like the Laundress was a smaller company. So hearing about the recall, I was shocked. I guess I sort of trusted them on some level,” Harris says.

The quirk is that, in a way, the Laundress is as big as the brands you'd find at any grocery store. The brand was started in 2004 by Lindsey Boyd and Gwen Whiting. The goal, Boyd said on a 2020 episode of How I Built This With Guy Raz, was to give people an eco-friendly, chic alternative to dry cleaning, which can damage clothes. “We need a product that works like a baby shampoo, something that’s gentle,” Boyd told Raz. The company was bootstrapped and grew mainly in Europe and Asia before finally finding success in the States. Then in 2019, personal care juggernaut Unilever acquired it for a reported $100 million.

Anne Johnson, a social media professional in New York, first started using the brand after listening to Boyd on How I Built This. “I was getting into green beauty and trying to be more conscious about what I was putting not only in my body but on my body. I got really into that right before Covid,” she says. “I tried their Wool & Cashmere Wash and loved it, then I got their Delicate Soap, and it escalated from there.”

At first, she says she ignored the recall news. “There was an initial ‘We’re doing a recall, don’t be alarmed’ email. So I was like, OK, it’s probably not even what I’m using.” Several days later she learned the hard truth that, “like, every SKU on their website” had been affected.

On December 1, the brand officially recalled eight million laundry and household products, explaining that the bacteria found included Burkholderia cepacia complex, Klebsiella aerogenes, and multiple different species of Pseudomonas. “People with weakened immune systems, external medical devices, and underlying lung conditions who are exposed to the bacteria face a risk of serious infection that may require medical treatment,” the Laundress explained.

Although the recall said those with healthy immune systems “are usually not affected by the bacteria,” the true gravity of the recall was something of a mystery. “They basically said ‘We’re recalling everything as a precaution. Your products could be totally fine,’” says Johnson. “I don’t know if they underplayed that, or if there was an actual serious concern.”

Abundance of caution or otherwise, the bacteria in question have potentially serious side effects. The most common complaint on social media was rashes; TikTok user @carolinecitelli shared photos of chronic eye infections she had experienced since using Laundress products.

Months later, customers learned that bacteria may not have been the only concern. On March 31 came an additional recall: The brand’s fabric conditioner had been found to contain ethylene oxide, “a carcinogen that can cause adverse health effects if there is significant and direct long-term exposure.” According to the National Institute of Health, its largest use is producing antifreeze.

The fabric conditioner had already been included in the previous recall, but frustrations were renewed. “So the baby fabric conditioner that I used for my newborn and infant had carcinogens?!?!” Facebook user Ashley Arroyo Ferrell commented on the post. “This is why I bought your products, to pay the higher price and AVOID harmful ingredients. I am horrified.”

After the recalls came the refunds—hundreds of thousands of them. The brand’s Instagram and Facebook posts are filled with comments asking about the status of payments. “As you can imagine, there has been a very large number of requests and we recognize there have been many frustrations along the way,” Laundress CEO Clemens Herrmann tells Bazaar.com. The refund process is ongoing, though Herrmann says the brand has fulfilled 99 percent of refunds requests “that were submitted with complete information.”

Both Johnson and Harris received refunds and were satisfied with the experience. However, they purchased their products online, so records were easily accessible. “If you bought things in person, you had to take photos of the packaging and the receipt,” Johnson explains. “The process seemed more drawn out.”

Courtesy The Laundress

But not everyone is angry with the brand. In fact, many comments on their latest posts are from fans eager to buy their beloved detergent again. One such fan is Kiva Brent, an interior stylist and content creator in Pittsburgh. Though she previously worked with the Laundress on brand partnerships, she says she continued to buy the products after that. “It was the only detergent that smelled good and didn't hurt my skin,” she says.

Like Harris, Brent loved the Le Labo collab. “I used every last drop of it,” she says. “I also really loved their Whites Detergent because I was able to get everything really nice and white and bright.” After the recall, Brent says she switched to Tide—though she kept a bottle of the Laundress x Le Labo, for posterity.

The Le Labo scents had a devoted following, and many fans may be disappointed to learn they are not part of the brand’s relaunch offerings. “That said,” Laundress brand director Hannah Yokoji says, “trailblazing collaborations have always been an important way for us to delight people who are looking for an elevated fabric care experience, so you can expect to see more in the future.”

The Laundress updated the packaging, seen here, to help differentiate the new products from the recalled ones.

What is available is a condensed assortment of the Laundress’s most popular products in the Classic, Cedar, and Lady scents, including the Signature Detergent, fabric conditioner, stain solution, and Wool & Cashmere Shampoo. (The Delicate Wash will also join the lineup in August.) Accessories include the stain brush, measuring cup, mesh washing bags, and dryer balls.

With so much at stake, Herrmann says the brand was “very intentional” about what it chose to relaunch with. “Focusing on a small assortment of our best-selling products allowed us to incorporate customer feedback and meticulously ensure product quality every step of the way on an accelerated timeline,” he says.

That word—quality—was a big part of what once gave the Laundress its singular place in the market. Now, it has to earn that reputation back.

SHOP

The brand’s new Fabric Conditioner costs $26.

Herrmann says the brand conducted a full audit of the manufacturing process, including testing protocols. “Our goal was not just to meet safety requirements; our rigorous inspection and robust microbiological testing of product batches now exceed U.S. industry standards,” says the CEO, adding that “we had expert on-site supervision of all production runs and are testing each batch for microbacteria contamination.”

The Laundress Signature Detergent Classic

The Laundress Signature Detergent Classic

Aesthetic changes were made too, so customers can distinguish the new products from those that were recalled (many of which can still be found on places like eBay). “From a safety perspective, it was important to us that customers can visibly discern the new products from the old,” Herrmann says. “The new detergents are transparent, the formulas have a lightweight consistency, and the new matte labels on the bottles have been updated with new product language.”

The question is whether or not the Laundress’s formerly die-hard loyal fans will be back to purchase the pricey detergent, which is now even pricier. The reaction on the brand’s social media accounts is mixed: “The price went up to $26! It was already hard to justify buying it when it was $22. At least I knew the old formula worked,” wrote one Instagram commenter. But another seemed unbothered, inquiring, “Do you have plans to bring the baby detergent back???”

Brent is decidedly Team Laundress. “I’m refreshing that Instagram every other day [for updates],” she says. Harris plans to buy the product as well, explaining that she doesn’t think the brand would risk another mistake. “If anything, the products are going to be more safe now than they were before,” she says. “Because of what happened to their business, I can’t imagine they would be dumb enough to mess it up again.”

Johnson, however, is in wait-and-see mode. “Am I going to purchase something immediately when it goes online? I don’t think so,” she says. Still, she admits she hasn’t found a replacement that lives up to it: “Nothing works or smells as good as the Laundress.”

Lindy Segal is a beauty writer and editor. In addition to regularly contributing to BAZAAR.COM, she also writes for Glamour, People, WhoWhatWear, and Fashionista, among other publications. She lives in New York City with her Chihuahua mix, Barney.

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