Innovation

Force of Nature is a miniaturized version of a non-toxic, multi-purpose, multi-surface cleaner and disinfectant. The antibacterial ingredient is hypochlorous acid, a product that has been in use for over five decades in a wide variety of applications, including wound healing, eye care, and industrial cleaning and disinfection. The cleaner is a detergent called sodium hydroxide, which is used in products like toothpaste, skin cleaners, and household surface cleansers.

Hypochlorous acid is created by electrolyzing a specific ratio of salt, vinegar, and water. This beneficial acid depends on a strict chemical formulation; the wrong ratios can result in bleach, which has a far higher toxicity level. Once created, hypochlorous acid has a two-week shelf-life before its cleaning and healing properties degrade. Because of these unique requirements, it is typically manufactured onsite in large quantities for commercial use.

By developing a countertop electrolyzer similar to countertop soda machines, Force of Nature has brought the health-promoting, bacteria-busting, toxicity-eliminating benefits of hypochlorous acid into homes and small businesses for the first time. The product consists of an electrolyzer, a reusable spray bottle, and subscription service for small capsules that contain the precise chemical formula required to safely make hypochlorous acid at home.

Many allergies and illnesses result from the alarming levels of toxicity we accept in our cleaning products. Force of Nature asks: can this degree of toxicity accurately be thought of as “clean”? Because of its clean chemistry, and because bottles are reusable and capsules are small, the Force of Nature cleaning products contribute to both personal and planetary health by both reducing toxic exposure in the home and radically cutting down on single-use plastic bottles.

Inspiration

The eight founders of Force of Nature were all veterans of the consumer goods space. Most had long experience in product development for household brands like Gillette and companies like Proctor & Gamble. With a desire to identify a technology that could address unmet needs in the consumer goods market, they joined forces to explore options and stumbled across the wonder that is hypochlorous acid.

While learning about the chemistry and current uses of the chemical, the founders considered several business opportunities in healthcare, cleaning, and beyond. But based on their personal experiences with family allergies and cleaning up after toddlers and pets, the group felt the most obvious and immediate business opportunity lay in the cleaning space.

“This category just had too many accepted compromises,” says Melissa Lush, Chief Marketing Officer and one of the co-founders of Force of Nature. “We saw an opportunity to create a category-disrupting product by eliminating those compromises and creating a healthier, cleaner, greener product.”

The biggest challenge has been getting people to shift attitudes and behavior around cleaning products. We have been taught to think of clean as having a certain smell, for instance. Force of Nature is odorless. We expect cleaning products to be brightly colored liquids. Force of Nature is colorless and clear. We expect to lock toxic cleaning supplies away from toddlers and pets. Force of Nature can be safely sprayed directly on an infant’s pacifier.

“We learned that the countertop experience is really important,” says Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Lush of their first beta test. “People really need to see the lights and the bubbles in order to trust that the product is going to work.” The indicator light on the Force of Nature electrolyzer gradually turns from blue to green as tiny bubbles percolate through the solution. After the solution has spent about ten minutes in the electrolyzer, the product is ready to use. It can then be poured into the reusable plastic bottle and used on glass, plastic, porcelain, stainless steel, flooring, and virtually any other surface for up to two weeks.

Overall impact

Force of Nature has had to pass stringent EPA tests in order to legally label the product as a disinfectant. In doing so, they have created a product far superior to other products that are authorized make similar claims about disinfecting surfaces. By replacing dozens of toxic cleaners with a single, non-toxic, multi-surface disinfectant in a reusable bottle, Force of Nature results in:

Reduced use of toxic chemicals and pollution

In the late 1990’s, the Union of Concerned Scientists conducted a research project to study the most effective behavioral and purchasing changes that ordinary citizens could support the health of the planet. Reducing household toxins from hazardous cleaners was among their top recommendations. Every home that adopts Force of Nature can stop using highly toxic cleaners immediately and going forward. Force of Nature reverts back to salt, water, and vinegar once it has expired, making it safe to pour unused product down the drain. One Force of Nature electrolyzer will last for many years and create hundreds of bottles of cleaning solution. This also eliminates the need to throw away half-empty bottles contaminated with toxins, which can be a significant source of pollution in soil and groundwater near landfills.

Healthier homes and businesses

Research has shown that toxic cleaners are responsible for long-term lung damage at a rate equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day (https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.201706-1311OC). This severe threat to human health often goes unseen and unsuspected. Force of Nature elegantly contributes to human health by reducing exposure to household toxins.

Reduced packaging and plastic waste

So far, Force of Nature and its customers have eliminated 8 million plastic cleaning containers, and counting.

In all of these ways, Force of Nature contributes to both human and planetary thriving.

Business benefit

As a private company, Force of Nature does not share its revenue results. However, not long after their post-beta product launch in the summer of 2019, the coronavirus pandemic created a game changing disruption in the cleaning industry. Cleaning supplies fell into short supply just as people’s desire for disinfectants skyrocketed. “People couldn’t get disinfectants on the store shelves,” said Lush. “It forced a lot of people to make a habit change that they otherwise might have resisted.”

Demand for Force of Nature grew by 10x nearly overnight. Fortunately, the company had partnered with a world-class manufacturer, and they were able to keep up with the increase in demand. They never went out of stock, although there was a short period where they saw shipping delays of 3-4 weeks.

Meanwhile, they sought out opportunities to donate product in order to keep small businesses open during the pandemic. In a spirit of mutual benefit, their hope was to help keep businesses operating safely, knowing that once companies tried Force of Nature, they would never be tempted to return to their previously accepted toxic compromises. During the pandemic, Force of Nature has donated to medical offices, schools, restaurants, gyms, and more. They are currently experimenting with programs that support their subscribers in bringing Force of Nature to their favorite local businesses.

As a result of their skyrocketing success, Force of Nature has opened up an entirely new market space for cleaning products which has the potential to be a game-changing disruptor for the entire industry.

Social and environmental benefit

As described above, the primary benefits of the Force of Nature innovation are:

Reduced use of toxic chemicals

Healthier homes and businesses

Reduced packaging and plastic waste

Interview

Melissa Lush, Co-Founder and CMO