One thing about being a mom is that I’m always looking for better products to use around the house. Realizing that every decision I make has an effect on my daughter and her friends, means that every decision is BIG. Hair spray, sunscreen and fragrance mists that look cute or are ‘influencer approved’ are not usually the ones I’ll buy. I want to know what’s behind and inside every product. The laundry category has been a tough one to crack because my daughter loves scents, and I’m afraid of her using them. That’s why I was SUPER excited to hear about the recent launch of Lindry Lab, founded by none other than Lindsey Boyd, co-founder of The Laundress. As a mom and woman, she’s long been speaking my language. We chatted about what makes a product good enough to confidently use for yourself and for your kids.
Midlife Mom: We welcome Lindsey Boyd— mom to two, founder and nose of Lindry Lab. A Serial Entrepreneur, she co-founded The Laundress and founded bespoke jewelry brand, Rondel.
A little BTS: “Your home smells so good,” is a compliment Lindsey hears often. Since childhood, she has surrounded herself with beautifully smelling things— growing flower and herb gardens in her home on Shelter Island and citrus trees in her New York City apartment. As the nose of The Laundress, she channeled this passion into thoughtfully creating each beautiful laundry and home scent. With Lindry Lab, Lindsey takes her creativity to new heights (including disrupting yet again without compromising). She has redefined home care, transforming it into the ultimate cleaning experience, and proved you really can have it all: efficacy, sensory experience, and plant-based ingredients.
Midlife Mom: I really love and miss The Laundress. Why did you start yet another brand in the laundry space?
Lindsey: I have been in the fabric and home care world for over 20 years. I try everything and found that I needed to do it better and could based on my knowledge in this space. I studied textile fiber science at Cornell, worked in fashion at CHANEL, founded The Laundress, and now get to do it even better than before because there is room to be better!
Midlife Mom: How were you able to make laundry products safe for moms and their families?
Lindsey: The formulas are bio-based certified and plant-based, created without the questionable ingredients I never wanted in my home. From the start, it was important to me to eliminate known endocrine disruptors, Laureths, SLES and SLS, while using plant-derived scents that still deliver a beautiful sensorial experience. Lindry Lab is for anyone looking for products that are safe, high-performing and genuinely enjoyable to use every day.
Midlife Mom: What ingredients are intentionally left out of Lindry Lab vs commercial brands and what ingredients are intentionally added (as in natural ingredients)?
Lindsey: Laureths, SLES and SLS, Phalates, Parabens are out. We add bio-based ingredients and 6 active enzymes to create a robust cleaning system that will clean effectively while being safe for fabrics and your family.
Midlife Mom: How are you able to have such amazing (yet light) scents that are still healthy and safe (vs commercial scents)?
Lindsey: I used naturally derived scents and natural isolates. Each scent is designed to be IFRA certified, Green Chemistry, Upcycled Ingredients, Renewable Ingredients, No Known Endocrine Disruptors, animal cruelty-free, Gluten Free, No Phthalates, No Benzene, and No PFAS.
Midlife Mom: I often talk to my daughter about endocrine disruptors (kids do not understand this) and why it’s so important to steer clear of products that contain them! It doesn’t mean she listens, but I try hard to impart that understanding on her and her friends. How did you make sure your products do not include endocrine disruptors?
Lindsey: My formulations were developed with this in mind. Endocrine disrupters actually disrupt the hormone system. Our fragrances are formulated without phthalates and without ingredients identified by major regulatory authorities as known endocrine disruptors. We work with master perfumers to create fine fragrances that prioritize both safety and sensory experience.
Midlife Mom: Was creating a safe and healthy product important when you were creating Lindry Lab?
Lindsey: Yes! I have a teenage daughter and a tween son that I need to worry about— it’s not just me anymore. Over the years, one of my best friends was diagnosed with breast cancer and became concerned about the products and fragrances in her home. She loves scents like I do, so that was part of my mission to create scents that were better for us.
Best Non-Toxic Laundry Guide:
- Lindry Lab Laundry Detergent | Scent 15, BERGAMOT, WHITE FLOWERS, AMBER, MUSK, OAK MOSS
- Lindry Lab Clothing & Home | Scent Bebe, LAVENDER, VANILLA, CALENDULA
- Lindry Lab Cashmere & Wool Wash | Scent 23, ORANGE BLOSSOM, MIMOSA, WHITE MUSK, PATCHOULI
- Lindry Lab Laundry Detergent | Fragrance-Free
- Lindry Lab Stain Remover
Midlife Mom: Are there certain scent combos better for certain people?
Lindsey: I love layering all of our scents! They were designed to mix in your laundry room and home. Use one scent for sheets and one for your bras and then switch to another for t-shirts and pants.
Midlife Mom: Women in perimenopause or menopause, like myself, are often sensitive to smells. I literally can not stand strong smells, my family thinks I’m crazy. Which of your scents would you recommend for meno-moms?
Lindsey: My scents are all developed like a fine fragrance. They are smooth and not strong or overhwhelming. They should smell good and clean and not compete with your personal fragrance. If you like a lighter scent, that would be scent 15 or 23.
Midlife Mom: How do you combine safe with luxury in a product like this? We still want nice things, but we demand good quality as moms!
Lindsey: It takes a lot of patience and testing. I only buy quality products, from what I eat to what I put on my skin to the clothing I wear.
To me, Luxury is quality+performance and experience+better ingredients.- Lindsey Boyd, Lindry Lab
Midlife Mom: What about teens, who LOVE scents, but don’t know how important it is to have them be safe scents?
Lindsey: Oh yes, my 15-year-old beauty- and fragrance-obsessed daughter has been this way since she was four! Before we buy anything, we review ingredient labels together. She started learning how to read labels at a very young age after becoming obsessed with Drunk Elephant at Sephora because of the packaging. It became an opportunity for me to explain that not every product with beautiful packaging is necessarily safe for her age.
Midlife Mom: How do you encourage teens to swap for better for you products?
Lindsey: My teen and I both love fragrance, so we’re constantly discovering new options with better ingredient profiles. There are cleaner alternatives out there, but sometimes you have to get a little creative. At one point, I bought her vanilla essential oil as a substitute for a cheap vanilla perfume she wanted. It’s not always easy, but I do think we can help guide our kids and steer them toward better choices without taking away the fun of beauty and self-expression.
Non-toxic laundry products
Shopping for healthy, safe, laundry and home products is essential as a mom! We’re lucky for mom-founded brands that make this a priority.
