Where did you grow up?
David: Between Tokyo and California.
Dr. Pete: Tianjin (K-12), Beijing (college), China.
What were you interested in as a kid?
David: Tennis, video games, Legos, making snacks in the kitchen.
Dr. Pete: Painting, reading books, catching dragonflies, cicadas, and crickets as pets, soccer, and running.
How do your childhood and young adult hobbies play a role in Dirty Labs?
David: I've always loved a clean home and scents. Working in tech I remember attending a presentation made by Eric Ryan of Method describing the founding of the company and thinking how cool a brand and project that was. Years later, after meeting Pete, it was exciting to think about taking the technology in cleaning to a new level.
Pete: Loving nature and caring about the environment. I was not quite settled / satisfied by my roles as an R&D leader in the typical corporate environment. Contributed to the creation of the Sustainability Consortium as part of the founding team in 2008. Joined Tatcha in 2016, all in and gained a deeper understanding about startups and entrepreneurship.
How did you two meet?
David: We met through a close friend in common who put us in touch with one another knowing that both of us were interested in doing something in the space.
Pete: Like David said, we were introduced by a common friend in late 2016, when David and I were coincidentally thinking of doing something new and different. We first met in SF in Feb 2017, and spent more time in NYC later. We found that we shared many common interests in product innovation, and our backgrounds / skills match and are complementary with each other.
Why did you create Dirty Labs—where did the idea originate?
David: The idea started with us reviewing cleaning technologies and how laundry detergent technology hadn't changed much in the past 80 years. What if you could change the cleaning engine behind a detergent? What would the benefits be, etc. Could you do it? — the result was Dirty Labs.
Pete: Between 2017-2018, we explored different concepts and prototypes from skin care for men to nontoxic deodorants. Finally we decided to focus on ultra concentrated, enzyme-driven bio laundry detergents that are free of toxic chemicals such as 1 4 dioxane. It wasn't an easy decision feeling like learning swimming by jumping into the deeper side of the pool...
How did sustainability play a role in the creation of the brand?
David: Originally it was the primary driver. Sustainability + performance. Then we really saw how many other personal safety concerns it solved at the same time.
Pete: Sustainability was built into the DNA of Dirty Labs from the very beginning. For example, when we drafted the White Paper for DL bio laundry detergent in 2018, before we even had a working prototype, we had determined to make our detergents free of 1, 4 dioxane. That was years before the NY and CA legislations to restrict the levels of this carcinogen in cleaning products.
How does your lifestyle play a role in the brand?
David: I love a clean home and premium scents!
Pete: Science has played a big role in my life and way of thinking and doing things. That might have some influence on Dirty Labs as a brand, which is based on science and authenticity.
