A nationally-available fabric conditioner has been recalled due to a chemical impurity.

The ACCC has advised that The Laundress branded fabric conditioner is being recalled after potentially cancer-causing ethylene oxide was detected in the product.

The Laundress fabric softener was sold online from January 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023 on the company’s website.

Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic gas and consumers are warned that long-term exposure to the chemical could cause cancer, as well as other health complications.

The risk of exposure can come through inhalation while using the product or via skin exposure to the residue left on clothes.

Users of the product are urged to should stop doing so immediately and contact The Laundress for a refund.

After requesting a refund, the ACCC urges users dispose of the product by closing the bottle tightly and placing it in household trash. The bottlers should not be emptied prior to disposal.

How to get a refund

If the product was bought on or after January 1, 2021, customers can receive a refund by taking a photo of the product, including its lot code, with their initials written on the bottom of the bottle. 

If the product was purchaed from The Laundress website, customers can submit their e-mail address for a refund.

Consumers who purchased the products before January 2021 should take a photo of the lot code with their initials and the date written in marker and contact The Laundress for a full refund of the purchase price, with receipt, or of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, without receipt.

If the consumer does not possess the product anymore, a refund cannot be issued.