As someone who loves and owns a variety of French beauty products, I'll still admit that I never thought French laundry detergent would be next on my list of must-buy items. That is, until now. I only recently got into detergents that smell like expensive fragrances and, boy, was it one of the best swaps I've ever made in my laundry routine. If you like Le Labo, trust me, you're going to want to try Dirty Labs' Murasaki Bio Laundry Detergent ($14). Recently, though, I stumbled upon a new and extra-luxurious brand called Maison France Luxe when I was at an event for work.
Maison France Luxe is the perfect detergent for your delicates because it's super gentle, made in small batches in the South of France, and smells so light, clean, and fresh. The brand offers several formulas, all made in the traditional Provence style with gentle, organic plant-based ingredients like shea butter. If that's not enough to sell you on it, it's also not outrageously expensive, coming in at $32 on Amazon.
Although it may not be the cheapest detergent ever, I think the care with which it's made more than makes up for that, and it's so worth it to have a formula that's gentle on delicates like bras and underwear.
This is the first formula from the brand that I tried, and I can confidently say that it works wonderfully for delicates. Everything comes out of the wash so soft thanks to ingredients like shea butter, and it has a super-light, clean scent to it. This one isn't the most fragrant, but it's still one of the nicest detergents I've ever used.
This detergent offers my favorite scent of the bunch. I'm a big fan of floral fragrances, and as the name would suggest, this formula truly smells like a lush Paris garden. I should also note that each of these scents is light, clean, and subtle. They don't smell heavily fragranced or artificial in any way, and I honestly love that. I'm not huge on laundry detergents that smell overly fragrant, because that could be irritating to those with sensitive skin. This one is also great for knits, linens, and other fabrics.
This formula is also designed to be used on all garments. Vent Corse, or Corsican Wind, has a softer, almost earthier scent to it that's great for anyone who isn't into florals. This one doesn't cling to your clothes much, but there is a pleasant, natural, and clean scent to your laundry after that makes it my second favorite of the bunch.
More Laundry Detergents I Love
Another brand whose detergents I can't get enough of is DedCool. The brand's limited-edition collab with Ouai last year was my favorite, but this one is a close second. It features notes of bergamot, incense, geranium, patchouli, and vetiver.
Like I mentioned above, this laundry detergent smells like Le Labo's Thé Matcha 26 ($235) to me. Like the above nontoxic detergents, the scent is subtle, and it doesn't linger too much, but it's there enough that your clothes smell super fresh after washing them.
If essential oils don't irritate your skin, I highly recommend this detergent in the lavender scent. Lavender is so calming to me, and it's natural but doesn't sacrifice quality. It still works really well on stains, and there is also a hypoallergenic option that's essential oil–free.
I'm a huge fan of this Basil Blue Sage scent from Caldrea. I have both the dish soap and laundry detergent in this scent, and it smells so comforting, earthy, and fresh.
This unscented detergent from L'Avant Collective is also plant-based, but highly concentrated, making it super effective on stains.
If you like really fragrant detergents, you'll definitely have to give this special set from Maison Francis Kurkdjian a try. It features one of the brand's best selling scents, Aqua Universalis. It smells fresh, aquatic, and a bit masculine-leaning, but a must for anyone who's into that sort of thing.
