Meet The Modern, Sustainable Hostess Gift (Win!)

It’s (still) spring cleaning time, and Guests on Earth—a female-founded startup on a mission to elevate home care into self-care with products that restore the balance between people and the planet—offers the kind of cleaning products you’ll actually want to display on your countertop (we promise!). We chatted with co-founder Jackie Prince to learn more. —Noa Nichol

When and why did you launch Guests on Earth? What niche were/are you aiming to fill?

We launched Guests on Earth this past March to create a new category of elevated, sustainable home care that looks, smells and feels like self-care. We became extremely aware during the pandemic of how much waste—in specific, plastic waste—our households were accumulating on a daily basis. We wanted to find better, more sustainable solutions for the home care products we use each day, that we could feel good about using, and actually enjoy. Our research into this category taught us that 73 per cent of millennials want sustainable products, 51 per cent of millennials use brands to reinforce an image they want to portray and 46 per cent of Americans clean because it relieves stress. We tried a ton of competitive products, but didn’t see anything that catered to these three points. We approach this relatively low interest, tired category thoughtfully, with sustainably at the core, and make it feel luxurious and counter-worthy.

What products/services do you currently offer, and what makes them unique?

We currently offer an All-Purpose Cleaner and Foaming Hand Soap, each in our two signature fragrances: Desert Dawn and Dunes at Dusk. We also have Microfiber Waffle Cloths, which are made from 80 per cent recycled polyester. Our marketplace innovation and differentiation is at the unique intersection of our three core pillars: sustainability, counter-worthiness and self-care:

1. Sustainable: Our innovative home system employs reusable, full-sized bottles (sold empty) and small format concentrated refills that reduce packaging and emissions by 10x. Our materials – aluminum vials and vessels – have been thoughtfully selected for reduction of materials, reusability and recyclability.
2. Counter-worthy: Designed to be seen and enjoyed, not hidden beneath the sink. We intentionally set out to create beautiful objects that complement – and even add – to people’s spaces. The packaging truly stands out in the category. They are also coated in a matte, soft touch texture that our customers love.
3. Self-care. All-natural, lux formulations and category-defying fragrances that transform home care into self-care. 

We worked with a fragrance house to develop two custom fragrances with different profiles that are both refreshing and smell ‘clean’ but also indulgent, borrowing more from the fragrance and personal care spaces. We describe our fragrances as landscapes—Desert Dawn (a citrusy oasis) and Dunes at Dusk (a calming woodsy landscape)—to reinforce that fragrance has the power to affect your mood and mindset.

The sustainability part, we know, if central to your offerings; but tell us more about the aesthetic and self-care aspects?

We approach the home care category as modern self-care, because taking care of the space you live in IS an act of self-care and we believe it should look, feel and smell that way. To that end, we designed our packaging to be counter-worthy, meaning designed to be seen and enjoyed, not hidden beneath the sink. We intentionally set out to create beautiful objects that complement, and even add, to people’s spaces. Our reusable aluminum vessels are coated in a matte, soft touch texture that our customers love. But more importantly, the texture of our Foaming Hand Soap went through nearly twenty iterations to get just the right amount of foamy lather and moisturising richness that makes washing your hands feel luxurious and leaves your hands feeling healthier. From a fragrance standpoint, we didn’t want to smell like anything else in the category, so we developed two unique essential oil blends and we describe our fragrances as landscapes to reinforce the power to affect your mood and mindset. The response to our fragrances has been incredible, people are loving them just as much as we do! We have customers telling us they actually look forward to wiping down their counters at the end of the day.

It’s spring! What does eco-friendly spring cleaning look like? What top tips can you offer those who want to “clean up” their cleaning act?

Love this question. Eco-friendly spring cleaning means a few things to me. Firstly, cleaning with products that are people and planet safe, meaning they are formulated deliberately to be free from toxins, bleach, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and other harsh, unnecessary chemicals. Our formulations are compliant with Made Safe and Environmental Working Group standards, which look into the effects on human and the planet according to each ingredient. We list the EWG score for each of our ingredients on our site. Next, be mindful of the packaging your products come in. Most cleaning products come in wasteful single-use plastic packaging that is thrown away after each use. Look for products that come in refills, and in our case, small-format refills, to reduce your usage and impact as much as possible. Spring cleaning also lends itself to taking stock of your wardrobe and clearing out items you no longer wear. Consider donating these, or even trying an outfit swap with friends, to give old items new life. Take this opportunity to be more conscious about what you purchase, when and why.

Of your two signature scents, Desert Dawn and Dunes at Dusk, tell us, honestly, which is your fave?

That’s really tough! It often comes down to how I’m feeling and what mood I’m in. Sometimes I want the brighter, more energetic Desert Dawn and sometimes I’m really feeling the deeper Dunes at Dusk. My favourite combination is: Desert Dawn hand soap and Dunes at Dusk All-Purpose Cleaner. The woodsy, refreshing and sensual scent of Dunes is unexpected and always delightful when cleaning up. If I HAD to pick just one, I would probably go with Dawn. 

guestsonearth.com

Win! A Guests On Earth Good Guest Kit!

Congrats Iris N. of Nanoose Bay, BC, who will receive a $79 Good Guest Kit! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.