162: Are Your Cleaning Products Dirty?

Many of our Dirties begin their health journey by eating more plants. As they start feeling better on the inside, they become curious about the quality of products they use on the outside—from skincare to household cleaning products.

In this episode, I sit down with Lauren Taylor, founder of Alter:Bio, a home cleaning product company created to meet European ingredient standards while delivering products that actually work. Lauren shares why she started the company after seeing the gap between conventional cleaners and health-conscious alternatives, and explains how the U.S. and Europe take very different approaches to regulating household products.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The differences between U.S. and European regulations for household cleaning products
• Common marketing (and often misleading) terms like "non-toxic" and what to look for in a true cleaning product.
• The surprising lack of regulation for many cleaning products sold in the U.S.
• What SLS and quats are and why you should watch out for them
• What "human-safe tested" involves and why it matters
• The shocking percentage “naturally-derived” products can be
• The connection between the products we use, our health, and the environment
• Lauren's journey building Alter Bio and why creating safer products took years longer than expected
• How regenerative farming, sustainability, and healthier ecosystems fit into Lauren's bigger mission

Helpful links:

• Shop Alter:Bio
• Kiss the Ground Documentary
• Clean Food Dirty Girl Meal Plan Club
• Clean-ish Cleaning Products

About our guest

The importance of having a healthy, balanced lifestyle was ingrained in our founder at a young age, from cooking seasonal and local produce, spending time outdoors, and minimizing processed and chemical products from beauty to home. She grew up learning to garden from her mother, spent time on her grandparents’ farm learning about our soil and environmental ecosystems, and worked with impact-driven businesses practicing conscious capitalism and supporting female founders. When it came to cleaning, she used to look for labels like “cruelty-free” and “eco-friendly.” Lauren trusted what was marketed to her, until she started getting rashes and eczema from exposure to harsh chemicals, heavy fragrances and oils, and plastics she didn’t even know she was consuming. Family members had flare ups and allergen issues during COVID-19, and she thought there has to be better solutions. Lauren began learning about ingredients, chemistry, scientific innovations, and bans in Europe and felt inspired to build something better, something you could actually trust, but that was still highly effective at cleaning. Cleaning products need to work, after all! Then Alter:Bio was born and made for everyone to have access to healthy, smart solutions.

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