Mike Mayer, the co-founder of Meliora, an EWG Verified and Made Safe certified cleaning product brand, answered a few pressing questions we had about Meliora and the importance of transparency in household products:

What prompted you to found Meliora?

In the fall of 2012, Kate (our Founder), was getting her Masters in Environmental Engineering while also working in regulatory compliance for consumer products in Chicago. She came across an article that P&G was reducing the levels of a known carcinogen by-product in one of their “free & clear” laundry detergents, which seemed odd. Why would a “free & clear” product have ingredietns that were known to be bad for human health in any amount? 

Kate teamed up with Mike (her then boyfriend, now husband), himself an engineer, and together they looked to use business as a tool to eliminate the use of secret and harmful ingredients in laundry products. Meliora Cleaning Products was founded in May 2013 with the mission to create a clean, happy, and healthy home life for you – one that doesn’t rely on secret formulas and mysterious chemicals.

Over the years, Meliora’s stepped up to the plate on transparency for ingredients, but also business practices. As a Certified B Corporation, Meliora’s considers the its impact on the people and planet around us, as well as profit, for all business decisions. That’s why you’ll see refillable, recyclable, and compostable cardboard, steel, paper, and glass packaging options (including low-waste refills) instead of single-use plastic jugs and bottles. Every product is MADE SAFE Certified and all ingredients are vegan and Certified Cruelty-Free. Every product is proudly made in-house in Chicago, IL.

What is the one thing every consumer should know about the average laundry detergent on the market right now?

The “average” laundry detergent (often found in a bulky, single-use plastic jug) contains dyes, preservatives, synthetic fragrances, and optical brighteners. Unlike cosmetics, there’s no requirement to list ingredients for laundry detergent, and you won’t find a list on the product or most websites. Unless a company voluntarily provides their ingredient lists, you can’t do the research to decide whether or not you want to bring their detergent into your home.

Meliora Cleaning Products lists our ingredients on every product we make so you know what you’re bringing into your home.

How can consumers become better informed about ingredients on their product labels?

Ingredient disclosure isn’t required for cleaning products. Therefore, the first step is basic ingredient disclosure. The cleaning industry is YEARS behind cosmetics on the ingredient disclosure front. We’re (very) slowly catching up, but there’s so much more to do. That’s why Meliora pushes SO hard to tell you what we use to make the cleaning products for your home. The companies making these products know what’s in their products – you deserve to as well.

Ask questions. Demand transparency. If a company won’t list the ingredients on their product’s packaging – including every ingredient considered “fragrance” – find someone who will.

 Swap out your detergent for Meliora using a special discount code here!