Gloucestershire businesswoman wants to revolutionise laundry with new perfume-inspired products

A Gloucestershire businesswoman is on a mission to revolutionise the laundry industry with an exciting new range of products being launched this spring 2023. 

Ciara McGurk, who was born and raised in Gloucester, has created Tallow + Ash — a range of six planet-friendly laundry shampoos and conditioners with scents developed by master perfumers from the beauty and fragrance industry.

After moving out from her family home, which she shared with her dad, renowned local businessman Eamonn McGurk, she found the laundry aisles in supermarkets both confusing and uninspiring. Her passion for scents meant existing products, especially those designed for sensitive skin, left her wanting more than that generic 'chemical clean' smell. 

Despite not having a background in chemistry, she set out to create laundry products that smelled more like the perfumes she wanted to wear, building a small, close-knit team of suppliers and perfumers to help her create a range of inspiring and effective products. 

Fragrances in the Tallow + Ash range include the French lavender-based Duvet Day, recommended for bedding and towels; fresh and floral Aurora, inspired by feminine fragrances like Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb; and Odyssey, with notes of citrus, musk, cedarwood and sandalwood – with both laundry shampoos and conditioners available in matching scents.

She says the name Tallow + Ash is 'an ode to the original soap makers from the olden days', though all of its products are vegan and cruelty-free, containing no animal-derived products, sulphates, dye or harsh chemicals that can harm aquatic life — with all of the products being formulated and tested by expert chemists in the UK. 

The family-run company has its base, known as The Laundry Lab, in Gloucester and works with suppliers in Northampton and Manchester, as well as an army of consumers who act as collaborators and product testers, with a 5,000-strong community in its Laundry Lab Facebook group already.

McGurk hopes that the sophisticated fragrances and clean chemistry in the range will 'make every wash load something to look forward to'. 

She is passionate about using social media to build a community around the brand, too, offering consumers a touchpoint where they can not just chat, but also contribute ideas, such as future scents, and provide feedback to improve products, setting Tallow + Ash apart from its big-name competitors. 

Samples of all the products in the Tallow + Ash range are available to order from its website from Friday 21 April 2023, costing £2 for a single scent, £5 for three or £10 for all six scents.

Full-sized products are due to be available from late May or early June 2023, with 24-wash bottles set to cost between £5.99 and £6.49 and five litre refills in the pipeline, too.