HOW AN ANCIENT BERRY IS THE SECRET WEAPON YOUR CLEANING CUPBOARD IS MISSING
- Amelia Taylor
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Soapnut Republic, founded by Australian Kim Gilliland and New Zealand-born Bobby Mitchell, has launched into the Australian market after a decade building a loyal following across Asia, the UK and Scandinavia.
The couple, who now run the brand from Cape Paterson on Victoria's Bass Coast, first had the idea while living in China and expecting their first child.
Bobby had swallowed household cleaner as a child growing up in New Zealand, and the memory stuck with him as a new parent scanning the ingredients on their own cleaning products.
When they couldn't find a genuinely natural range that actually worked, they decided to make one themselves.
Their answer was the soapnut berry, a small but powerful ingredient used to clean textiles, hair, and homes across Chinese, Indian, and Native American cultures for thousands of years.
The berries contain saponins, a natural surfactant that lifts dirt and grease without leaving residue, doing the job of the many synthetic chemicals packed into most supermarket cleaning products.
"When we first started reading labels as new parents, we didn't like what we found," says Gilliland.
"Products marketed as natural were packed with synthetic fragrances. Brands claiming to be eco-friendly still relied on harsh detergents. The truly safe alternatives either didn't work or cost more than most families could afford."
Every product in the range is plant-based, biodegradable and hypoallergenic, and made without sulphates, parabens or synthetic fragrances.
The formulas are naturally low sudsing, meaning they rinse clean using less water, and every label spells out exactly what's in the bottle and what isn't.
The Australian range launches with five hero products, all made locally:
Grapefruit Dish Soap, RRP $14.95; Lemongrass and Tea Tree Hand Soap, RRP $18.95; Peppermint and Tea Tree Hand Soap, RRP $18.95; Lemongrass Laundry Liquid, RRP $23.95; Citrus Multi-Purpose Spray, RRP $14.95
Each product has been developed in Cape Paterson and tested against the everyday mess of real family life, with the founders keen to keep prices accessible rather than pitching the range as a luxury buy.
After a decade spent winning over households overseas, Soapnut Republic is betting that Australian shoppers are ready for the same trade-off: fewer ingredients, and a lot more transparency about what's actually in the bottle.
