If anyone knows the importance of well-being, it’s a mother and former psychiatric nurse.

Shawnique Alexander, founder of sustainable laundry detergent brand, Ripl Efek, insists skincare starts with laundry care.

“All these different things we carry throughout the day…the bacteria, the sweat…it’s sitting on our clothes and it’s sitting on our beds,” she told Happi. “When it comes down to material, we’re here to protect the skin microbiome and work with it.” 

The Ripl Efek founder says it blurs the line of beauty, wellness and homecare, born from the belief that what consumers touch, wear and breathe should be as much a luxury as what consumers put on their skin. To do elucidate this common thread, Alexander partnered with cosmetic chemist Peter Kpere-Daibo, past formulator with L’Oréal, Carol’s Daughter and Proudly (Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade’s baby brand). Valuing precision and prioritizing safety, it took over 25 iterations before they developed the perfect formulation: a hypoallergenic formula that is dermatologist- and pediatrician-approved that supports the skin microbiome while offering fabrics a deep clean. 

The name “Ripl Efek” is a reggae play on Alexander’s Jamaican and Louisiana roots, and how someone of that ethnicity might pronounce “ripple effect.” 

“That music is what connects me,” said Alexander. “I’m always in a flowing place all the time. I’m always playing around with different ways of how to make something that’s traditional with a little twist, and turn something people usually see into something different.”

HARMONIOUS AND GROUNDING

Ripl Efek is billed as a refillable, skin-safe laundry detergent line. It debuted in 2024. Alexander likens the unique refillable stainless steel package design to filling one’s washing machine with a can of natural ingredients (sans harsh chemicals). Just as athletes fuel their bodies with a functional beverage. 

“This is a well-rounded human experience that we all do,” Alexander noted about doing laundry. “We shouldn’t have anything harsh in general.”

Ripl Efek includes two SKUs: Unscented and Ase Detergents. The 16 fluid-ounce cans contain enough product to do up to 45 loads. The formula removes tough stains from grass to red wine and bodily fluids. The brand’s skin-safe marine ingredients include active enzymes; algae oil, to aid in the breakdown and removal of cellulite tissue cells from the affected areas; Sensityl, to soothe and calm; and Hydrintense, which fosters healthy skin hydration by forming a protective layer on the skin’s surface, increasing the water content of the stratum corneum and improving skin’s microrelief.

Unscented is billed as Pure, Grounded and Revitalizing with top notes that feels like clean air, middle notes that create a sense-soothing quiet presence and base notes that anchor users in simplicity. Ase Detergent (pronounced AS-SHAY) emits a bright, serene and harmonious scent profile with top notes of mango, lemon and cassis; heart notes of jasmine, vanilla and pear; and base notes of musk, amber and tonka bean. 

The Starter Kit, which comes with one product can and reusable, stainless steel vessel, can be purchased at riplefek.com.