A Day, A Dawn; Honesty Is The New Luxury 2026

We mostly have good intentions, let’s be honest. We try to make better choices, do the ‘right’ thing, be kind and caring, especially when we enter the new year. Here we are with all our good intentions, our healthy choices and our determination to just be that ‘bit better’ than last year. Do we think 2026 can be the dawn of something better, nicer, kinder? Is this year to be the year of change for good? Find out more in A Day, A Dawn; Honesty Is The New Luxury 2026

Doing Good

It’s fair to say that most people are decent and try to do the best they can for their loved ones and generally for mankind as a whole. And on one level, it’s not so difficult. Hold the door open for the person behind you, ring your family not just on special occasions, and smile at a stranger. Yes, if we did this a bit more often, then maybe the world would just be that little bit nicer?

Green Options

But it’s the more complex things that, of course, are harder. Less pollution from cheap flights, organic food ( yes, it’s so expensive), buying fewer throw-away fashion items, or even carrying a refillable water bottle. Should kindness and caring be our new world order?

Understanding Ingredients

We are getting better; we read the ingredients on the packaging of things we buy and try to make greener and cleaner choices. But it’s not always that straightforward. Yes, we have heard the term greenwashing, and we kind of know what it means, but it really doesn’t help us. Navigating through false messaging almost needs a degree in science, just to understand what the label may be saying.

Limited Information

Even if you do understand, the information is limited. For example, you get yourself some nice green clean washing powder. It’s from a reputable brand with good credentials. You read the information on the back, and all seems good. Plant-based, biodegradable ingredients, oxygen-based bleaches, with added minerals and enzymes/fragrances that are natural.

New Clean Products on the Market

Sounds great, right? But here lies the problem, the natural Lavender scent they have used, where did it come from? And how was it produced? Was it ethically and sustainably resourced? And how was it extracted from its plant? Probably with an ugly chemical called Hexane, yet it’s not listed as an ingredient. And here lies our problem, us with our best intentions, are being misled. Because until every level of ingredient and every part of production, including packaging making, and transportation is fully traceable and ‘greenwashing’ becomes a crime, it really is hard to do the right thing. But thankfully, it feels like we are finally ready for some honesty.

During 2025, a few new brands have come to market, being as open as they possibly can and trying to be as clean and green as it is physically possible to be. These include skincare, perfume and detergent. All are, of course, tiny, independent, creative-run companies. But they prove the point; It can be done, and so everyone needs to start stepping up.

But, before we explore one of these great brands, let’s understand something. Every day, ordinary items, like washing powder, are considered toxic primarily because many traditional formulas contain chemicals that can harm human health and aquatic ecosystems.

These substances often remain as residues on clothing, where they can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled as vapours.  Toxicity due to chemicals like surfactants, phosphates, fragrances, optical brighteners, and preservatives, which pose risks like skin irritation, respiratory issues, hormone disruption, and environmental damage (e.g., algal blooms from phosphates).

Many conventional detergents release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carcinogens (like formaldehyde), potentially leading to indoor air pollution and long-term health problems, even remaining as residues on clothes. And that is just the washing powder you use, now times that by 10, 20, or 30, more items that you use at home in your living space or on yourself.

So, carrying on with this analogy lets meet a very green, clean washing and candle-based home care company. The Lab Co. On their website, they clearly state

Many products call themselves “non-toxic.” We prefer proof. Our fragrances go through an intense, multi-stage toxicity review, removing ingredients often hidden by “natural” and “safe” brands through regulatory loopholes.

This process means our formulations can take years, not months, to create – sometimes we have to start over multiple times, but radical transparency and safety are non-negotiable. This is why we are the only laundry and home care brand approved by Breast Cancer UK.*

They use fine fragrance in their products, and these are without irritants (as all perfumes must be these days), but also without using horrid poisons like Hexane to extract the natural oils. Created by independent perfumers Josh Gilbertson and Tess Richards, each scent is designed in Grasse, France, the historic centre of luxury perfume craft.

The house offering includes candles, washing powders, sheets and home cleaning products, with more items being bought to market in 2026.

If our never-ending fight to be ‘better’ its important to understand that when brands talk about ‘natural’ and ‘clean’, these terms are not legally regulated globally, meaning brands can market products as such even if they contain harmful chemicals. We understand that many brands are trying, but unknowingly, they are using fragrance oils laced with hidden toxins.

The Lab Co. has just announced that it has achieved a groundbreaking global first milestone as the first fragrance house to be approved by Breast Cancer UK. This prestigious partnership underscores The Lab Co.’s commitment to safety and transparency in the fragrance industry, having been first to remove all known carcinogens, hormone and endocrine disruptors from its formulations and fragrances across its full clean fragrance and home portfolio.

Breast Cancer UK has developed an A-to-Z Chemicals of Concern document that identifies known carcinogens, endocrine and hormone disruptors, and harmful substances found in everyday products. The Lab Co. has meticulously aligned its product formulations and fragrance oils with this list, a challenge many deemed impossible.

All The Lab Co.’s formulations undergo a rigorous, multi-stage review in accordance with Breast Cancer UK’s A-to-Z Chemicals of Concern List (latest edition published in 2024), effectively eliminating ingredients of concern or those often obscured by regulatory loopholes. This partnership with Breast Cancer UK ensures a continuous commitment to consumer safety and health. 

Fed up with being lied to, and going half-truths or a not-so-green, clean truth? Well, now we can start to look forward. Now we can find some more honesty, yes, it does come at a cost, but hey, for our new year 2026, honesty is the new luxury.

Find out all you want to know at thelabco.com here

If you enjoyed reading A Day, A Dawn; Honesty Is The New Luxury 2026, then why not read

.Cent Magazine London. Luxury Mindset