$100M BRAND STORY

Tallow + Ash: How £1M Crowdfunded Built a Laundry Sensation

A perfume‑inspired laundry brand founded in Gloucester, UK in June 2023. Their mission: create planet‑friendly cleaning formulas with luxury fragrance profiles and aspirational packaging that turns laundry into ritual rather than chore. Already surpassing 150K+ orders in under a year, they're clearly onto something compelling.

Are They Funded or Bootstrapped?

Bootstrapped at launch, then raised £1.1 million in just 9 days via equity crowdfunding in March 2024—with 2,686 investors. They also secured investment from James Watt (BrewDog) via a competition and earned recognition in the UK StartUp Awards.

Their Origin Story

Founder Ciara McGurk, inspired by personal experiences with sensitive skin, assembled a team of UK chemists and master perfumers to create luxurious yet skin‑kind detergents. Launching initially through a community Facebook group (Laundrylab), they sold 15K bottles over their launch weekend, crystallizing their thesis: fragrance, sustainability, and visual appeal.

Core Customer Base

They attract eco‑aware, fragrance‑loving consumers (primarily women) dissatisfied with ordinary detergents. Leaning into upscale scent profiles like “Odyssey” and “Date Night” in visually appealing packaging has rapidly grown a loyal community—with over 100K social followers and 70% female investors.

How Did They Grow So Sustainably? (P&L View)

• Profit from discovery sets: Low‑cost sample bundles have strong conversion to full-size orders.

• Super lean CAC: Leveraged community-driven crowdfunding, referrals, and organic social proof.

• LTV via bottles + subscriptions: Customers regularly return for refills and new seasonal scents.

• Sampling scale-up: Solved early bottlenecks by producing 36K sample bottles weekly as of early 2024 via machinery investment.

Key Milestones

• June 23, 2023: Official launch with six scent variants via direct‑to‑consumer.

• Opening weekend Q3 2023: Sold 15,000 bottles organically through Laundrylab.

• June 2023: Finalist in BrewDog’s Next Unicorn pitch; secured BrewDog backing.

• Mar 2024: Raised £1.1M crowdfund from 2,686 investors in 9 days.

• May 2024: Named South West Young Entrepreneur of the Year; finalist in UK StartUp Awards.

• Mar–Apr 2025: Reached over 150K orders and 100K+ social followers.

Influencer Marketing Mix

Though formal influencer partnerships aren't prominent, Tallow + Ash experienced robust community-led growth, especially via user‑generated TikTok content (#LaundryTok) and the highly engaged Laundrylab Facebook group.

Their Marketing X-Factor

• Fragrance‑first positioning: Standing out as essentially a perfume brand in the laundry category.

• Clean, vegan UK chemistry: No dyes or sulphates, emphasizing sustainability.

• High‑touch design UX: Beautifully packaged products with scent-forward visuals and curated seasonal scent launches.

• Rapid feedback loops: Actively utilizing Laundrylab community input to refine products and campaigns.

• Effective funnel strategy (with agency Soar With Us): Meta/TikTok ads drive prospects to Instagram → link-in-bio pop-up captures emails via sample offer → email nurture converts leads efficiently, cutting CAC by ~40% and boosting orders by ~150% within months.

Takeaways for Wellness Operators

1. Niche with boldness: Carve an emotional niche (luxury scents, joy) within commodity categories.

2. Community launch: Sell directly to fans first with sample bundles, then scale outward.

3. Crowdfund strategically: Raise community equity rather than relying solely on VC to fund scale and cultivate engaged stakeholders.

4. Fragrance fuels retention: Regularly launching new scents incentivizes customers to keep returning.

5. Operational readiness: Early investment in production infrastructure (machinery, sampling scale) ensures smooth fulfillment.