Struggling to find a laundry product specifically made to care for silk, and that wouldn’t trigger a reaction to her daughter’s sensitive skin, Michelle Gray set out to create the ultimate fabric care range that would be effective, gentle, kind to the environment and without any chemical nasties. Bon Savvy is a proud Australian owned and made small business that cares about making a difference to people’s everyday lives and the planet. They are passionate about enriching lives with comfort, care and convenience – minus the harmful toxins and stress. More than just premium laundry care and gorgeous scents, Bon Savvy is all about making your life easier and more pleasurable, taking expert care of the people, the things and the home that you love, without costing the earth. Here Michelle talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business, their biggest breakthroughs, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
It all started with a silk pillowcase and my daughter who suffers from eczema and has severe dust mite allergies. For someone with sensitive skin and allergies, buying natural fibres like silk and linen is always best. We had bought a silk pillowcase as a present for her but when it came to washing it, we couldn’t find a product that was specifically made to care for silk and that we had the confidence would not trigger any reactions in my daughter’s skin. It sparked the idea that specific fabrics deserve more tailored care, plus premium care should not come at the expense of wellbeing or ‘cost’ the earth. It led me to work with Australia’s oldest family-run manufacturer for over a year to create the ultimate fabric care range that would not only be highly effective, but would be a pleasure to use, kind to the environment and healthy and safe for people with sensitive skin without any chemical nasties. Plus, I wasn’t a ‘domestic goddess’ and really detested the chore of laundry. I figured if I was going to make the best of the best laundry care products, I was going to make sure they also transformed this normally mundane task into something more fun and pleasurable!
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
We launched with our Silk Savvy wash but very quickly grew to an entire range of specific fabric laundry washes and washes for different people’s needs, in answer to our customer feedback. They were so impressed with the results our products provided and the sense of pleasure they gained from the subtle, naturally derived fragrance of our concentrated washes, that we launched a range of matching naturally derived fragrance sprays for linen + home + body. Our hunch to expand the range was right. There were a lot of people, particularly mums, that wanted an Australian-made, quality product which would provide reliable premium results but also had that 100% focus on care. With the increase in eczema, especially in babies, more and more mums are looking for more holistic products that are easy to use, effective but also tick those really important boxes of being safe and supportive of their family’s wellbeing, while being kind to the planet. Also, so many people loved the idea that they could turn a boring task into something to enjoy, as well as being able to enhance comfort and wellbeing for themselves and those they loved too.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
We had a number of very exciting breakthroughs early on with the Eczema Association of Australasia offering to try and test our products. Our products represented something quite unique, as many eczema sufferers typically have to put up with unscented products and have a very limited range to choose from because of the triggers to their skin. Ours was the first functional yet luxurious range they had come across that eczema suffers had great results with and they loved. They showcased our products in their national magazine, even doing an additional article with a professional make-up artist customer of ours who raved about our products. Vogue Australia also selected us in their “15 Homewares Guaranteed To Give Your Space A New Refresh For 2022”. Andy and Deb from ‘The Block’ became ambassadors and we have been selected by Life Instyle, Made In Australia Campaign, Revolver, Body And Soul, etc, for features. Aside from the accolades, quite honestly the breakthroughs that have mattered to us are hearing from our customers and how our products had quite literally changed their lives and how good they felt using a product that was so safe and healthy for their babies. Especially those that were suffering with eczema.
