Smol Review: Are these eco-friendly products worth the hype?
I have been using Smol, the planet-friendly cleaning product for a while now and wanted to review the products and my experience with the brand.
Disclosure: This post may contain some affiliate links, which means if you shop through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting The Style Cycle Blog.
As someone who loves sustainable fashion and the environment, it only makes sense that I would want to wash my clothes in something that is planet-friendly too! I have tested out a few sustainable brands of laundry products and some have been better than others.
With 12 million tonnes of plastic being dumped into the ocean every year more and more brands are dedicated to reducing their plastic waste and doing their bit for the environment.
More than one million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals and turtles die every year from eating or getting tangled in plastic waste. This is heartbreaking.
But what can we do as consumers?
Well, we can start by ditching the traditional plastic laundry bottles. But before we can do that we have to find the best eco-friendly laundry detergent out there. I’ve seen the Smol hype all over social media for a couple of years now, so I was excited to try out their products.
Smol Review: Are these eco-friendly products worth the hype?
A bit about Smol UK (the brand)
Smol is an eco-friendly brand specialising in home and cleaning products. They want to revolutionise household cleaning with affordable, high-performance products that give reliable results.
It all began when 2 working parents, Paula and Nick, realised there was a better way to buy laundry detergent. The word ‘smol’ is slang for small cute things, the perfect name for the tiny concentrated capsules they were developing.
As of 2022, the company turned over over £25 million, a 38% increase from the previous year, so it is safe to say many people like what they do.
They sell a range of planet-friendly household products including:
- Non/Bio laundry capsules
- Fabric softener
- Dishwasher tabs
- Multi-purpose surface cleaner
- Washing up liquid
Is smol eco-friendly?
Smol is committed to sustainable packaging and responsible practices. They have zero plastic packaging, which is great and they use cardboard packaging that is either recyclable or home-compostable. The boxes are approved by Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) (meaning the board comes from responsibly managed forests).
Their plastic bottles are crafted from 100% recycled PET, diverting waste from landfills and oceans. In cases where bottles can’t be kept for refills or recycled locally, customers can return them to Smol for sanitisation and reuse.
They remove excess water and pointless chemicals from their products and use rehydrated tablets, which cuts carbon emissions as less transport, production and packaging is required.
Their tablet sachets are another environmentally responsible choice, as they are fully home-compostable. Users can place them in their kitchen waste or compost bin and they will naturally degrade within weeks.
The Rinse, Return & Lend a Hand initiative is very popular among customers. This program promotes the environmentally responsible practice of reusing rather than recycling. For every four bottles returned to them for reuse, they generously donate one pack of laundry capsules to The Hygiene Bank, a charity dedicated to alleviating hygiene poverty among the most vulnerable individuals in the UK.
Smol products are not chemical-free but use fewer chemicals than traditional big brands. So if you are thinking of switching from larger supermarket brands, you can know fewer chemicals will enter the water systems by using smol.
Are the ingredients in smol eco-friendly?
Smol is transparent online with the ingredients they use in each of their products.
Palm oil is one of the natural ingredients they use that does harm the environment but they have reported that they ‘sustainably source any palm oil or derivatives from RSPO certified supply chain systems and regularly survey our suppliers to ensure compliance’.
They also are open about using acrylic copolymer which is said to be a microplastic. Smol have said ‘the acrylic copolymer used in the dishwasher tabs is a liquid and not a microplastic. They are certified microplastic free by Flustix.’
They also do include some synthetic ingredients however they have said they are a at a vastly reduced level compared to the other larger brands.
I think if you want a fully natural and eco-friendly product, smol may not be for you but if you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint from the leading supermarket brands that you currently use, smol could be a great option.
Here is a full ingredients list of smol products.
If you are looking for a non-toxic range of home products check out this review of the home brand, miniml.
Is smol vegan and cruelty-free?
Smol products are vegan and cruelty-free. They don’t use animal ingredients in their products and do not test products or ingredients on animals. Smol doesn’t sell its products in countries requiring animal testing and is Leaping Bunny certified which is great! On a side note, mainstream brands like Fairy Liquid do tests on animals when required by law.
This dedication is great and something I look for in a brand.
How does smol work?
Smol runs a subscription service and offers free trials for their products. This is a great way to test out smol’s products before you carry on with their service and products.
Once you receive your starter pack, you can log in to smol’s website and it is very easy to amend the duration of your delivery date, to add more products or decrease your orders depending on your need.
I will talk more specifically about each product below.
My Thoughts
Non-Bio Laundry Pods
Non-Bio Capsules
The Facts
- Free trial available
- 100% plastic-free packaging
- Super concentrated formula
- Dermatologically tested
- 35% less carbon vs leading brands
- Vegan & cruelty-free
- Letterbox delivery
I loved these eco-friendly laundry capsules, the packaging for me was superb.
I was a little apprehensive before I received it as I had seen a few people struggle with the child safety features of the box but it was simple. I followed the instructions and had no issues opening it myself, I popped one in the washing machine on top of my clothes and let it do its job.
My washing cleaned very well, although it sadly didn’t remove some tough stains left over by my children. If I’m being honest, some of the tomato stains my kids leave cannot be removed by other brands either. Very frustrating! Maybe the smol stain gel could be an option? Or I may need to try the ‘Bio’ laundry capsules instead.
I did like the smell the capsules left behind but it was a little faint so I’m giving the smol laundry capsules 8/10.
Fabric Conditioner
- Zero single-use plastic
- Animal fat-free
- Super concentrated formula
- Free rinse & return refillable bottles
- Vegan & cruelty-free
- Fragranced using essential oils
This product was the one I was most interested in. I feel like the old fabric conditioner I used to use (Lenor) had such a strong smell of synthetic fragrances which I have to say, I love.
After using this product for the past 6 months I have found that it leaves my clothes feeling super soft which is great! The smell is not as strong as Lenor but if I’m being honest I still felt like I had fresh laundry. I can accept this knowing the positive environmental impact they have.
I’m not sure if it is possible to have the fabric conditioner in a capsule but this would be optimal for me, the thought of returning the bottles seems like a massive effort (one I will make but would be better if I didn’t have to).
So for that, I would give the Smol fabric conditioner a 7/10.
Dishwasher Tablets
Image credit: Smol
- 100% plastic-free packaging
- Superb Performance
- Super concentrated formula
- all-in-one tablet
- 46% less carbon vs leading brands
- Vegan & cruelty-free
- Fits through the letter box
These dishwasher tablets are a no-brainer! They are great! They worked so well, I would usually use Finish but these were equally as good and have zero plastic.
Brilliant, I would recommend them. So, I would give the dishwasher tabs 9/10.
Multi-purpose Surface Spray
The facts
- Free trial available
- Zero single-use plastic
- Refillable bottle for life
- No needless shipping of water
- 91% less carbon vs leading brands
- Vegan & cruelty-free
- Starter pack delivered to your door with refills through the letterbox
- Refill tablets for only £1 each
This surface spray is great!
Over 95% of cleaning spray is water so it makes sense to fill it up at home. This reduces the amount of shipping for the water plus the pollution of these delivery trucks on our roads.
I added some warm water to the bottle and added the refill capsule. It took around 20-30 minutes to dissolve so it wasn’t too long to wait. The refill tablets come in compostable packaging so I popped the wrapper into my green bin!
This sustainable alternative to your standard cleaning spray works just as well as others. The first time I tried it, I used a damp cloth and it removed all the grime on my worktops. The smell is pleasant, not as strong as others I’ve tried but I will keep purchasing this product.
It has lasted longer than other cleaning sprays so an excellent product that cleans well. I would give this product 9/10.
Smol Washing up Liquid
Image credit: Smol
- Zero single-use plastic
- A plant-based formula is used
- Pink grapefruit fragrance and high-performance
- Vegan & cruelty free
- Free rinse and return refillable bottles (meaning less waste)
The smol washing-up liquid is a sustainable swap I have used for a while.
At first, I was worried about changing from fairy liquid as it is so effective but smol also offers a high performance, good-quality product.
The pink grapefruit smell is very refreshing, I am happy knowing there are no harmful chemicals in my washing-up water too which is great.
If I were to change anything, I would replace the pump with a squeezy bottle. It makes it so much easier when washing up, so for that I would give it 9/10.
How much does smol cost?
I would usually pay around £12 for 51 washing tablets with Fairy. Smol costs £11.80 for 52 tablets therefore these are similar in price.
The multi-purpose spray tablets work out at £1 per tablet which is cheaper than the leading brands would charge. The subscription takes all the hassle out of your shopping as the products are delivered when needed.
Smol is a good value brand and a more cost-effective way to wash your clothes and do household cleaning.
Would I recommend Smol?
Absolutely. I’ve had a fantastic experience with this brand and its products. Smol’s commitment to eco-friendliness and high-quality cleaning solutions is great. Their products not only perform well but they also come in sustainable packaging, straight through the letterbox.
Smol has made it incredibly convenient to make environmentally conscious choices without compromising effectiveness. If you’re looking for a brand that delivers on performance and sustainability, I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a go.
It’s a win-win for your home and the planet.
Related Posts:
WILD DEODORANT REVIEW: DOES IT WORK AND IS IT WORTH THE MONEY?
FLUUS: SUSTAINABLE BRAND REVIEW
