Today’s moms are absolutely amazing! When they’re really passionate about something, they don’t sit down and wait for things to happen. They make things happen! And that’s exactly what Emily Balajadia, the mompreneur behind Cycles Mild Laundry Detergent for Babies, did. Emily’s eldest daughter was allergic to all sorts of things, from different types of food to dust and pollen, among others. Emily says, “Although allergies are extremely difficult to control due to external factors and uncertainties, our pediatrician recommended that we try to eliminate first those harsh chemicals that may worsen and irritate her sensitive skin even more; basically try to eliminate things that we have control over.”

And so Emily and her husband Dennis went on a mission to eliminate from their lives all the things which could possibly cause an allergic reaction to their daughter. “Since I was breastfeeding, I started to strictly watch my food intake and took notes as to which type of food would make her skin really react,” she says.

“After which, we started observing and noting the effects of products that would directly touch her skin like laundry detergents, baby lotions and body wash. After a process of testing and elimination, we finally found better alternatives for her sensitive skin.”

At the time, there was a dearth of products for babies with sensitive skin, so Emily and Dennis had to resort to shipping out balikbayan boxes filled with hypoallergenic items to themselves every time they went to the United States. This worked out well until their second daughter was born, and she also had sensitive skin.

Now with two children to think of, the balikbayan box solution seemed far from ideal. So Emily and Dennis decided to take a leap of faith, and develop safe, hypoallergenic products for babies.

Emily says, “Most mommies at that time would use regular detergents or this particular white bar soap that our moms grew up with and hence recommended to the next generation. But those detergents, even those that claim they are mild on the adult’s hands or mild on delicate clothes, have harmful chemicals and are not specifically formulated for the skin of our babies. Baby’s skin is three times thinner than ours, thus naturally sensitive and should be treated differently.”

Cycles is the very first hypoallergenic baby laundry detergent in the Philippines. Unlike other detergents, Cycles is especially made for babies from hypoallergenic, ultra-mild, and baby-friendly ingredients that are kind to baby’s sensitive skin. It does not have harsh chemicals and does not leave soap residue.

Emily says, “Since we are committed to providing mommies with better and safer alternatives to modern child-rearing and, that when it comes to our babies, there should be no compromise, we commissioned Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) to conduct a Residual Test and Hypoallergenicity patch test to ensure that what we are claiming is all true.”

SGS is a leading international inspection, testing, and certification company. SGS residual test results show that Cycles has significantly lesser residue after rinsing as compared to leading detergent brands and some imported baby laundry detergents as well. Cycles was also proven to be clinically hypoallergenic on babies based on the SGS patch test.

The Balajadias knew that they have a great product, but the challenge was how to convince moms and retailers of its goodness. “Since Cycles was the first baby laundry detergent in the local market setting, technically different from the rest, we had to find ways to influence the behavior of the mommies. That is more difficult than just introducing products with mass-based brand positioning backed up with mass media campaigns. Products that are, technically, for everyone.”

But with persistence and perseverance, the Balajadias were able to communicate to moms this very important message: That when it comes to our children, there should be no compromise.

As Cycles celebrates its 10th year, there are many things that the Balajadias are most proud of. Emily shares, “How we have made the needs of our babies as our utmost priority and the core of all our product launches, how we were able to touch the hearts of the mommies and daddies here and in Indonesia, and how we have influenced consumer behavior and thus paving the way for direct competitors. Their presence reinforces the importance of Cycles in the lives of the new generation mommies.”

The success of Cycles has also paved the way for Cradle Baby Bottle & Nipple Cleanser and Cradle Toy & Surface Cleaner, both of which are effective non-toxic cleansers to keep baby’s things and surroundings clean without ever exposing him to harmful chemicals.

In commemoration of this special milestone, they celebrated with their customers by making buy 1 take 1 bundled packs available in retail outlets. Emily says, “It was our way of saying thank you to the mommies and daddies who have trusted us for a decade now and those who continue to believe in our mantra that ‘when it comes to our babies, there should be no compromise.’”