Three women, Marilee Nelson, Kelly Love, and Allison Evans, want to make cleaning simple, affordable, and non-toxic for American households. This week, their company, Branch Basics, is launching in Target stores nation. It’s a big move for the trio who have been building this company for over 12 years. And it didn’t even start with a product — it started with a blog to educate consumers on the hidden dangers lurking in everyday cleaning supplies..
“The story of Branch Basics is not just about products,” says Love. “It’s about a movement to rethink what ‘clean’ really means-and why it matters more than ever.”
Love and Evans joined Nelson on this journey after their own health crises. The trio spent a pivotal summer living together, learning from Nelson, a Board Certified Nutritionist, on how someone’s household environment could be a health trigger.
Nelson had spent decades working with chronically ill patients. “I worked with so many people who had been to doctors and practitioners and they didn’t get better,” she says. “Then I’d ask, ‘What do you use for laundry?’ And they’d tell me what they thought was non-toxic. But they didn’t really know what was truly safe.”
Branch Basics’ formulas are free from synthetic chemicals, fragrances, dyes, colorants and harsh surfactants. They call them “human-safe” and that too, for all ages.
So Branch Basics launched with a simple but multidimensional product: a concentrate that could replace dozens of toxic household cleaners. “[It] came with empty bottles so you could mix and use it for dozens of different cleaning tasks. It was designed to easily replace harmful products and simplify cleaning routines,” says Love.
This minimalist approach resonated with consumers. By 2015, the company had raised a small friends-and-family investment round and was beginning to see real potential. But they also realized that to grow, they needed to own their formula.
“We shut down for almost two years to reformulate and relaunch in 2017 with our own proprietary concentrate,” Love says. “That was a huge leap, but it was necessary to stay true to our mission.”
Since then, Branch Basics has expanded its product line modestly, and slowly, adding dish tabs, laundry detergent, and hand gel. But the focus remains on simplicity and versatility. “We want to keep it minimal for people,” Love notes. “One product that does the job of many, without compromising safety.”
Despite their success, Branch Basics resisted retail. They wanted to build awareness and educate consumers directly before scaling up. “We kept pushing back on retail because we didn’t feel ready. We worried about losing the connection with people-the ability to explain what our product does and why it matters,” Nelson says.
That changed when they started working with a buyer at Target who wanted to bring a clean product at an affordable price tag. “Now people can pick up a ready-to-use bottle at a price that’s competitive with other brands,” Nelson says. “This is core to us. It’s always been our dream to bring human-safe products within reach of everyone.”
Branch Basics works with the Environmental Working Group, a DC-based nonprofit that’s been advocating for cleaner personal care and home products since the ‘90s. EWG has since built a robust ranking system so consumers can search ingredients and see if their products are safe or harmful. Branch Basics uses ingredients that are ranked 1 or 2 on that scale of 10 (with the lowest being the safest options). But there’s a term that the trio like to use repeatedly in conversation: “human safe.”
Nelson explains, “I realized that ‘non-toxic’ on a label isn’t enough. Our product is geared toward human safety, which is a much higher bar.”
This philosophy is rooted in epigenetics, she explains: the study of how small chemical exposures can turn genes on or off, affecting health in profound ways. “Our ingredients come from a selection that passes epigenetic models. Even a small amount of one ingredient can impact gene expression, so we choose carefully.”
One of the most urgent issues Branch Basics tackles is the prevalence of PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment or the human body.
Nelson warns, “PFAS are in nonstick pans, stain-resistant fabrics, and many cleaning products. They accumulate in our bodies and are linked to cancer, immune problems, and birth defects.”
Branch Basics products are free of PFAS. “People want safe products,” Nelson says. “But there’s so much confusion and misinformation. Our job is to clarify what’s safe and what’s not.”
That’s why they developed a free online course for anyone to take. It’s on their website and Love and Nelson say that it’s just as important to them as the products themselves.
“One of our customers took our toxins course online,” Love shares. “And she then went completely fragrance-free, and got rid of 35 years of asthma.”
While this has worked for many members of their community, the founders are careful to avoid fear mongering. “We’re big fans of baby steps,” Love says. “We don’t want to create fear or stress, which can be just as toxic as chemicals. We want to invite people to see this as an opportunity to learn and slowly make the changes needed.”
With Target as a launchpad, Branch Basics aims to expand its reach and inspire industry-wide change. “We hope Target is the first retail partner, and we can grow from there,” Love says.
“We want to raise awareness so other companies will do the same. Ultimately, we want people to be healthy,” says Nelson.
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