LAVOIR

LAVOIR, French-inspired laundry soap made in Cheltenham

LAVOIR is a British laundry and home care company that produces La Lessive, a liquid laundry soap formulated with Marseille soap flakes, water and its own perfume. The firm presents itself as an alternative to conventional detergent: it makes its product in small batches in Cheltenham and sells it through its own online shop, with free UK delivery.

The company operates as LAVOIR LTD, a company registered in England and Wales with number 16933666, and handles customer service by email and telephone.

La Lessive: composition and how to use

The main product is La Lessive, a liquid laundry soap that the company describes as a soap-based product rather than a modern enzyme detergent. It comes in a one-litre format, yields up to 30 washes and is perfumed with a savon-inspired composition created in Grasse.

The ingredient list published by the firm is: Aqua, Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum and Hexyl Salicylate. The company states that it contains no enzymes and that, because of its soap base, it does not fit exactly into the usual bio or non-bio categories.

For use, it recommends shaking gently before each wash and using about 30 ml per load, equivalent to three 10 ml wooden spoons, poured into the drawer or directly into the drum, adjusting the amount according to the machine, water hardness and level of soiling. It is intended for everyday laundry such as linen, towels, bedding and cottons; for wool, silk, delicate fabrics or special garments it refers to the garment care label and to testing first where necessary. The company warns that the product contains perfume and recommends checking the ingredients if you have very sensitive skin or known allergies.

Origin of raw materials

The firm details the provenance of the components of La Lessive. The Marseille soap flakes are saponified from 100% vegetable oils and made in the traditional way in Provence; the signature perfume is composed in Grasse, presented as the French capital of perfumery; the metal tins come from Tewkesbury, England, near where the product is prepared and packed; and the labels are printed in Kent. The company sums up this approach as a combination of French heritage, local finishing and no unnecessary elements.

The perfume and the brand story

The scent of La Lessive is described as clean, soft and familiar, with a slightly green softness that evokes linen slowly dried in the open air, without being intense or sharp. The firm links this perfume to a family memory: the sheets hung in the garden by Mamie Lou, the founder's grandmother, and presents its first collection as a tribute to the women who passed on an everyday idea of care. The inaugural collection is built around that memory, Mamie Lou's garden and a scent that seeks to be carried into every wash.

Catalogue and sales format

Alongside La Lessive, the online shop offers other complementary items: Le Sac, a cotton mesh bag; Le Torchon, a personalised tea towel; and Les Pinces, a set of five wooden pegs. The company also sells Le Cadeau, a gift that the customer composes from La Lessive and extras such as a monogram, a handwritten note and other details, carefully wrapped.

The site indicated a price of £32 per tin of La Lessive, equivalent to about £1.07 per wash with delivery included, and a subscription called Seasonal Rhythm that sends a new tin each season for £27 per delivery, with a minimum of three deliveries before it can be cancelled and the option to pause or adjust it later from the account. The first batch was presented as limited to 240 bottles, with each order from that first batch wrapped by hand and accompanied by a natural cotton tea towel embroidered with LAVOIR.

Shipping, returns and customer service

Orders are prepared by hand and sent with tracking within the UK; the company warns that, because it works in small batches, dispatch times may vary slightly during busier periods. As for returns, the customer has 14 days from receipt to change their mind: unopened returned items are fully refunded, while an opened or used bottle entitles the customer to a partial refund of 50% of the product price. The cost of return shipping for a change of mind is borne by the customer; if the item is faulty or was sent in error, the company covers the postage and refunds the full amount.

Support is provided by email, which the firm notes as the quickest way, with an estimated response within two working days from Monday to Friday, and also by telephone. For order enquiries, it asks you to include the order number.

Location and contact

LAVOIR LTD, 7 Blenheim House, Evesham Road, Cheltenham, England GL52 2AA, United Kingdom · Telephone: +44 7300 311141 · Email: hello@lavoir.co.uk