We have been conditioned to reach for the same conventional cleaning products without much thought, yet many of us are unaware of how detrimental some of these products can be to our health. It is vital that we begin to question the ingredients in everyday products.
Fortunately, we had the lovely opportunity to interview Lindsay Droz and Kristi Lord, founders of L’AVANT Collective, about the “Goop-iest” home cleaning products out there. L’AVANT is on a mission to help us fill our homes with natural, clean, and beautiful products. This article is one you’ll want to keep reading and pass along to your family & friends.
L’AVANT on setting a new standard of what ordinary products achieve by elevating efficacy and aesthetics to create the highest performing, plant based cleaning products:
Starter Noise: Let’s start with basics, how did you both get into this space?
Kristi: Basically everything I was bringing into the home or using inside the house was irritating my son’s skin. The cleaning products in the tub, the laundry detergents, the lotions, they all had certain ingredients that were very harmful to sensitive skin. Lindsay and I kept having conversations and decided to start DIY-ing our own cleaning products. We got real hippy dippy and experimented with all sorts of ingredients.
Lindsay: After much experimentation we had two problems: first was that our cleaning supplies that we were DIY-ing weren’t working and the stuff that was available in the market (the plant-based stuff) wasn’t working. Secondly, the bottles were ugly.
Lindsay: We found that we had a real problem here, but we recognized that there was a GenY market that was really pushing companies to make better, safer, eco-friendly products. We decided to go and be that company.
Starter Noise: We’ve really noticed that so many products lack regulation and not many people are taught about the harmful ingredients, can you speak to this a bit?
Lindsay: If it’s cheap, you should question it. It’s expensive to put good stuff inside a bottle, that is why organic products are more expensive. Our products aren’t high priced because we want them to be, it’s because we put great stuff inside of them.
Kristi: There’s no law, especially around disclosure. Cleaning products are not required to list their ingredients. So we opted for full transparency, we list all of our ingredients. If you look at the back of a Tide or Windex bottle, you will notice no ingredients listed, which is something consumers should absolutely question.
You can read more about why switching to non-toxic products is essential on L’AVANT’s blog here.
L’AVANT on how to form meaningful relationships with potential investors:
Lindsay: For the last three years, we’ve been meeting with all these investors because we didn’t want the first time we met, to be the first time we asked for money. These investors became a part of our journey. We truly value their advice and guidance along the way. Eventually, we raised a small friends and family round to help scale, and all the people involved have been phenomenal mentors.
Advice from these founders that can be an inspiration to all:
Lindsay: Every day we face problems – big and small. So when you face a problem during the day, just write it down. You’ll be amazed that from writing down each problem will stem some great business ideas.
As for starting a business, take one step at a time. For us, our first step was just getting an LLC and it was really easy by getting a business license. You can always make changes, so don’t get paralyzed by the fear of these, what you think are grandiose decisions, just make one step at a time.
Kristi: Just start verbalizing your idea. Start talking to people about it, the more you talk about it, the more you move towards that. It feels very vulnerable to talk about something, especially if you think it is dumb, but if you have passion behind what you do, trust that it is coming together.
Don’t get frustrated wherever you are in your life, there is a skill you are picking up along the way. I’ve had a few jobs over the last twenty years and I can point to each of them and say what I was doing in that role is helping me today. Don’t ever think that what you’re doing now isn’t worth it, there is something that you can use later on in life.
Our Take Away:
Providing education and products you can trust, L’AVANT is truly on a mission to bring clean, plant-based, sustainable and beautiful products to your home, not to mention the founders are absolute GEMS. Check them out here, follow them on Instagram, and watch for them in the news – this company is paving the way we clean our homes safely! They are even Gwyneth Paltrow & GOOP approved.
P.S. We are HUGE fans of their Biodegradable Cleaning Wipes, they are now staples in our cars and gym bags – the perfect wipe for on the go.
Let us know what you’re trying and what products you’re loving @StarterNoise.
