Our claims.
smol things make a big difference.
This page provides the details, data and references to support the claims that we make in relation to our brand and products. You’ll also find more information on our 3rd party certification. Please take a look and if you have further questions or would like more information please don’t hesitate to contact us at help@smolproducts.com.
Great for you.
1. Performance including 'As good as the big brands'
Switching to smol means no compromise on performance.
From our Laundry Capsules through to our Anti-Perspirant we aim to match the performance of traditional market big brands.
This is how we test our products, and how we make our performance claims with confidence.
Product | Testing process / how we justify our claim | Benchmark brands |
Laundry Capsules | AISE + (European protocol with additional stains). We test against 21 stains, on 4 different fabrics, at 30°C and 20°C. We also test for whitening performance. | Persil (Bio and Non-bio) |
Laundry Liquid | AISE + (European protocol with additional stains). We test against 24 stains, at 30°C. We also test for whitening performance.
| Persil, Persil Non-bio Wonderwash |
Dishwasher Tablets | IKW standard protocol on 5 stains at 45°C, plus anti-spotting & anti-filming tests. | Finish |
Washing Up Liquid | Dishwashing efficiency (upholding the foam) at 20°C & 45°C using STIWA II soil (dirt!) | Fairy |
Multi-Purpose Tablet Spray | We tested detergent power and degreasing properties on hard and greasy soil (dirt!) | Flash |
Bathroom Tablet Spray | Static descaling protocol on limescale & performance tests | Flash |
Stain gel | Tested by smol customers who rated it as good if not better than their previous brand. | Vanish |
2. Fair price promise
We price check all leading brand prices on a monthly basis using retailer online pricing.
When we make our fair price promise we are certain that smol is the same price or cheaper than leading brands at non-promoted prices.
Where we refer directly to a price comparison e.g. “smol saves you 20% vs the big brands” we will reference a specific pack, date and retailer.
Foaming Handwash:
smol Foaming Handwash lasts longer than traditional liquid handwash.
*Weight dose comparison at 2 pumps for a 250ml fill weight. Comparison against the products: Dove care and Protect Hand Wash, Ecover Hand Wash, Method Pink Grapefruit Hand Wash.
smol Foaming Handwash is cheaper than traditional liquid handwash.
*Each pump of smol Foaming Handwash delivers 0.86ml.
Therefore each 300ml bottle = 348 pumps (or 291 pumps per 250ml).
At £1.75 per refill tablet, 348 doses for £1.75 = 0.5p per pump
Palmolive Naturals Milk & Honey handwash delivers 1.7g per pump, so 250ml = 147 doses.
At £1.50 (Sainsbury’s August 2025), each Palmolive dose costs 1p per pump
Therefore per pump, smol is cheaper than Palmolive liquid hand soap.
The same calculation was repeated for Dove Care & Protect Hand Wash and Method Pink Grapefruit Hand Wash, again using August 2025 prices. All products were found to be more expensive per dose than smol Foaming Handwash. Above product comparisons consider non anti-bacterial handwash products only.
3. Dermatologically tested / suitable for sensitive skin
Where we make this claim we have patch tested the product using an independent, external laboratory following standard industry testing protocol.
Suitable for sensitive skin is always backed up with formulation and supplier rationale.
Dermatologically tested products: Non-Bio and Fragrance Free Capsules, Non-Bio Laundry Liquid, Washing Up Liquid, Foaming Handwash, Shampoo Bar, Hand Wash Bar, Body Wash Bar, Anti-Perspirant.
Suitable for sensitive skin products: Non-Bio and Fragrance Free Capsules
4. “Free from…”
Our “free from” claim means you can be sure that our product does not contain a specific ingredient.
Please click here to see individual product ingredient lists.
- Laundry Capsules
- Dishwasher Tablets
- Fabric Conditioner
- Multi Purpose & Bathroom Spray
- Washing Up Liquid
- Stain Gel
- Laundry Liquids
- Floor Cleaner
- Foaming Handwash
- Soap Bars
- Toothpaste
- Anti-Perspirant
For any further product or ingredients information please visit our help centre.
Better for the planet.
Laundry, household and personal care products are necessary to our everyday life. They are products that we all buy and use, yet collectively contribute thousands of tonnes of plastic, carbon and chemicals to the environment.
Performance and value are key to customers; if our products don’t work, we won’t make any positive impact at all. We continually look for ways to deliver performance whilst also offering credible, tangible benefits for the planet vs mainstream traditional alternatives.
1. 100% plastic-free packaging
This means the packaging contains zero plastic.
This applies to all of our card packaging, including Laundry Capsules and Dishwasher Tablets.
Our Multi Purpose, Floor Cleaner and Bathroom sachets are also plastic free and are home compostable.
Our card packs and paper are from FSC approved sources.
"This packaging helps us save over 500T of plastic a year"
How do we know that? Well we look at every product we sell and we compare our packaging to competitor products. We weigh their plastic packaging vs ours, and work out a saving in g of plastic per product. We then multiply that by the number of units sold, to work out how much plastic is being saved by customers switching to smol. If you'd like more info or detail on this calculation, please just email us at help@smolproducts.com and we'll be happy to respond.
2. Less chemicals
On average smol products use over one third less chemicals than leading brands.
Testing process / how we justify our claim:
We conducted comparative testing to assess the dry weight per wash across a range of products. Water and fragrance components were excluded to enable a like-for-like comparison of functional ingredients. For each product, the quantity of these ingredients per recommended use were calculated, and percentage differences versus selected leading brands were determined. These differences were then averaged across all products tested (11 products).
Benchmark brands:
Persil, Lenor, Fairy, Flash, Method, Finish
Product | % less than big brand | Chemicals saved per year by switching to smol | Benchmark brands |
Laundry Capsules | Bio: 38.5% Non-Bio & Fragrance Free: 35.4% | Bio: 2.4 KG¹ Non-Bio & Fragrance Free: 2.11 KG¹ | Persil Bio and Non-bio |
Laundry Liquid | Bio: 5.5% Non-Bio: 4.6% | Bio: 218.4g¹ Non-Bio: 182g¹ | Persil Bio & Ultimate Non-bio |
Dishwasher Tablets | 15.6% | 210g⁴ | Finish |
Washing Up Liquid | 42.2% | 480g² | Fairy |
Fabric Conditioner | 66.1% | 284g¹ | Lenor Outdoorable pink blossom |
Multi Purpose Spray | 50% | 85g³ | Flash Wipe & Done |
Bathroom Spray | 66.6% | 170g³ | Flash Bathroom |
Floor Cleaner | 45.1% | 35g³ | Method Floor |
¹ Family of 4 runs washing machine 364 times/year. (Washtower 2025)
² In the UK, 13 million households buy 150 million bottles of the Fairy Liquid alone every year, suggesting an average of over 10 bottles per household for that brand alone. Officestationary.co.uk
³ DS Smith Survey
⁴ Median number of times households use dishwasher = 208 washes/year UK Data Archive Study 7471 (2011)
3. Cutting carbon
We use LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) to give us an independent, third party understanding of the total carbon emissions of our products, from start to finish. We currently have LCAs for:
- Laundry capsules
- Surface sprays
- Foaming handwash
- Laundry liquids
- Fabric conditioner
- Production of our cartons
We are conducting further studies on our more recent launches and will publish the results as soon as available.
From 2026, customers who opt into smol’s grouped delivery service can save up to 48% in carbon impact. This figure is based on smol’s upcoming packaging reduction project and reflects projected reductions in both delivery frequency and packaging use for an average customer using a large box. In the meantime, grouped delivery already reduces carbon today through fewer deliveries, with current savings at around 10%.
4. Animal fat-free
Unlike other brands, we do not use animal fat (or indeed any animal product or derivative) in our Fabric Conditioner. Instead we used a vegan suitable alternative.
5. Vegan
All of our products at smol are vegan. No animal or animal derived derivatives or by products are included in our products.
6. Approved by Cruelty-Free International
smol believes that beauty and household products should be cruelty free. We are proud to be part of the Cruelty Free International Approval Programme. A global programme, it requires cruelty-free standards over and above legal requirements. All of our own brand personal care products and household and cleaning products are approved under the Cruelty Free International Approval Programme. We adhere to a fixed cut-off date policy and proactively monitor our suppliers to ensure that our products continue to adhere to the Cruelty Free International Approval Programme criteria. Our supplier monitoring system is also independently audited.
For more information about the Cruelty Free International Approval Programme, please visit www.crueltyfreeinternational.org.
7. Sustainably sourced palm-oil
smol is a member of the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). We sustainably source any palm oil or derivatives from RSPO certified supply chain systems and regularly survey our suppliers to ensure compliance.
The RSPO leads various groups from around the globe (including the WWF, Greenpeace, and the United Nations), to put systems in place that ensure oil palm trees are only farmed on land that has been previously cleared (or doesn't require deforestation). For more information on our point of view on palm oil.
8. Home compostable
Where we claim that a piece of packaging or a product is home compostable, the packaging has been certified by TUV and / or tested by ourselves at home! Learn more on TUV.
9. Made from plants / plant-powered
We use this claim when a product has a very high % of plant-based active ingredients.
10. FSC approved sources
This means that the source of our paper / card has been approved by The Forest Stewardship Council. Look for the FSC logo on our FSC® certified products.
11. Biodegradable
When we make this claim, it means the product has been tested in line with recognized industry protocols. All biodegradable claims will specify the test method used and the type of environment (e.g. soil, marine, or composting conditions) in which the product was assessed.
Sponges:
Testing process / how we justify our claim:
Tested according to NF EN ISO 846 D (2019) under soil conditions, the product achieved 100% biodegradation within 87 days.
12. Compostable
When we make this claim, we have made sure the product has been tested following a standard industry protocol.
Cloths:
Testing process / how we justify our claim:
EN 13432 - Industrially compostable test
Spray sachets:
Testing process / how we justify our claim:
TUV Home Compostable test including EN 13432
13. Micro-plastic free
smol Laundry Capsules and Dishwasher Tablets are certified microplastic-free under Flustix certification. These products do not contain microplastics.
Packaging.
Where possible we will use 100% plastic-free packaging. Where this is not possible (yet!) e.g. our liquid Fabric Conditioner or Washing Up Liquid products, we have chosen to use carton refills over recycled plastic bottles.
Here’s why…
- Less plastic required.
Carton refills are made from 68% paper and 32% plastic. The plastic is used in the cap and the carton liner. It means there’s 83% less plastic (by weight) than in our recycled plastic bottles. One carton = 7g of plastic. One recycled bottle = 41g of plastic.
A typical household of 4 is estimated to use 129 pieces of single-use plastic a year on average. This includes plastic containers from cleaning sprays, fabric conditioner, laundry liquid, handwash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash and shampoo*. - Cut carbon emissions.
Life Cycle Analysis shows that creating a carton results in 43% lower carbon emissions vs producing even a recycled plastic bottle. - Improved recycling.
Plastic is recyclable BUT the amount successfully recycled in the UK is really low, with some types barely reaching 12% recycle rates.
Our PET bottles are recycled and recyclable BUT the current recycling infrastructure in the UK doesn’t ensure they are recycled; ultimately most go to landfill, are incinerated or leak into the environment.
Cartons have higher rates of recycling in the UK (between 29% and 40%). And as UK councils must soon work to harmonise all recycling, this rate should rise to 70%. - A more renewable resource.
Paper is a renewable resource and the paper for each carton is made from FSC approved sources. - Upgrading the loop.
Our looped rinse & return system that has been in place for our recycled plastic bottles brought some improvement to sustainability. However the move to carton refills will outperform this existing process even when taking the reuse of bottles into account. Considerably less plastic is required and carton recycling rates from local authorities will be greater than current plastic recycling.
Customers who live in a local authority that does not recycle cartons (3% of councils) can still return their empty cartons to us for FREE and we will ensure their proper recycling. More information on carton recycling
If you have any further questions please visit our help centre or contact us at help@smolproducts.com
*Data sources: ONS, WashTower and OnePoll/RÉDUIT, Astute Analytica. (2025). Liquid Hand Soap Market.