29 Sept 2025
smol skim sheet:
- smol started when two parents realised big laundry needed a wake-up call.
- the industry was full of waste, weird gimmicks, and plastic-heavy products.
- smol launched with concentrated laundry capsules, cutting chemical load but not performance.
- they ditched supermarket shelves and went direct to customers with free trials and flexible subscriptions.
- and yes, we’re still just getting started.
smol began with two working parents, a messy laundry basket, and a very simple thought:
why hasn’t laundry changed in decades?
Paula and Nick had spent years working in the industry. They’d seen the behind-the-scenes tricks and knew the so-called “innovation” was just new packaging slapped on the same old stuff. Some brands were even separating ingredients into multicoloured chambers inside their capsules and calling it “progress”.
Cute. But kind of pointless.
a dirty business.
The real problems were chemical overload, plastic waste and supermarket markups. And they were all being completely ignored by the big brands.
So they decided to fix them with a cleaning revolution.
smol’s the name that stuck.
Late one night, the name smol appeared. Internet slang for “small cute thing”? Perfect.
smol felt like the right kind of rebellion: tiny, concentrated capsules taking on the giants.
fewer chemicals. more clean.
The first challenge?
Creating a laundry capsule that used fewer of the harsh chemicals, without losing cleaning power.
The results? Independent tests showed smol performed as well as (or better than) the leading brands.
It was time to launch. And to ditch the middlemen.
Instead of supermarket shelves, smol went straight to the people, with letterbox delivery and a two-way relationship based on trust, transparency and a little bit of laundry love.
packaging the revolution.
Even in the earliest days, one thing was clear: plastic had to go
The original recycled plastic packs were just a first step. The real goal? A cardboard alternative that still met tough UK regulations for child safety. It was no small feat but smol got to work.
After a few paper cuts and a lot of prototypes, we launched the world’s first child-impeding cardboard pack for laundry capsules in 2020. It was a huge success for a tiny company - succeeding where the big brands hadn’t bothered.
Three years later… they had to follow suit. Forcing the giants into cardboard packs is one of smol’s biggest wins to date.
fast-forward to today…
From laundry capsules to surface sprays, dishwasher tablets, stain gel, handwash and shampoo bars, smol has grown thanks to the people who believed a little change could go a long way.
We’ve saved millions of litres of water from a pointless journey, thousands of tonnes of plastic, cut carbon with every refill AND donated over 3 MILLION washes to charity.
The smol revolution grows daily. Are you in?
smol FAQs.
what does smol actually make?
We create cleaning products that are heavy on dirt, lighter on the planet. Think laundry capsules, dishwasher tablets, refillable sprays, handwash, and more. All delivered to your door.
are smol products sustainable?
From concentrated formulas to plastic-cutting refills, everything is designed to cut waste, save carbon, and be kinder to animals, water, and the world.
is smol non-toxic?
Yes smol products are formulated to be safe for use in your home and contain fewer harsh chemicals than many traditional brands. We carefully select every ingredient to balance cleaning power with low environmental impact, and we avoid things like chlorine bleach, phosphates and unnecessary dyes wherever possible. All products are independently tested and we’re fully transparent about what goes into them because safer cleaning shouldn’t be a mystery.
is smol cruelty-free?
Absolutely. Everything we make is Leaping Bunny approved and 100% vegan.