We’re thrilled to announce we’re celebrating our sixth birthday this year!
The last six years have been an exciting whirlwind here at Puracy.
Because we’re so proud of what we do, we wanted to give you a little insight into what our company’s been up to since we started.
While our green products are our pride and joy, we do some other neat stuff, too.
From donating over $500,000 worth of products to more than a dozen different local charities to saving more than 200 tons of plastic from landfills, the Puracy family is focused on doing good for families, the environment, and our local communities.
Here’s a brief look at the story of how two best friends from Austin, Texas decided to start an eco-conscious cleaning and personal care products company together.
The Birth of Puracy
Sean Busch and Paul Tracy were neighbors in the eclectic, free-spirited 78704 neighborhood of Austin, Texas when they decided to create a line of effective, plant-based household products that could be used around their kids and pets.
Finley Tracy
Where did the idea come from?
When Sean and Paul first met nearly a decade ago, they were both starting to think about having children and starting families of their own. Paul’s first child, Finley, was born shortly afterward.
As they both watched Finley grow together during her first magical year of life, Sean and Paul decided to combine their professional backgrounds and passions to create a new eco-conscious brand centered around keeping households free of caustic chemicals.
That was back in 2013.
After much discussion and trial and error, as well as consultation with some talented former SC Johnson chemists, Puracy’s first product lineup was born: multi-surface cleaner, laundry detergent, hand soap, and dish soap.
The original labels? They were hideous.
But the initial customer reaction to the products and the company’s mission was overwhelmingly positive, and we quickly sold out of our first production run.
After that, Sean and Paul were off to the races. Over the past six years they’ve consulted with countless chemists and have read tens of thousands of customer emails and reviews, and they’ve used this information to vastly improve their labels, formulas, and everything in between. The company now makes nearly two dozen products to cover eco-conscious families’ household and skincare needs.
Each and every day, Sean, Paul, and our growing staff at Puracy work tirelessly to create products that our own families — and other families across the nation — are proud to use day in and day out.
Puracy’s Continued Mission
To ensure that our products are environmentally-friendly and hardworking, we work with leading chemists and doctors to create our award-winning products. Customers seem to like it, too, since we now have 20,000+ five star reviews!
Our family-owned business credits much of its success to Mother Nature’s awesome ingredients and our experts -- including our lead chemist who has a PhD from one of the most prestigious universities in the world -- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
We know plant-based, natural ingredients are best, so that’s what we use.
Some harmful chemical ingredients would make production a lot easier and cheaper, but we’re not into that.
We refuse to use:
- Sulfates (SLS, SLES, SCS)
- Triclosan
- Formaldehyde
- Parabens
- Phosphates
- MEA, DEA, TEA
- Chlorine
- Bleach
- Animal by-products
- Perfumes
- Dyes
We also value feedback from our biggest fans -- our customers. Positive or negative, we want to hear how we can make better products that serve you and your family best.
That’s the Puracy mission.
Six Years, Six Big Milestones
We’ve done a lot since 2013. When it comes to crafting natural, gentle, and effective plant-based products for families, we only want our best formulas hitting the shelves. That’s why we’ve spent so much time perfecting our ingredients and packaging -- to create products we can all be proud to use daily.
Our innovative approach is why we keep winning awards and earning the trust of thousands of customers every day.
Here’s a snapshot of our work over the last six years:
2014
Puracy develops 10x concentrated laundry detergent
Our award-winning 10x formula washes 96 loads of laundry with a tiny 24-ounce bottle, reducing unnecessary plastic, water, and energy waste. To this day, our detergent remains the most concentrated laundry detergent sold in America!
2015
Puracy launches world’s first six-enzyme stain remover
Enzymes are proven to effectively remove stubborn stains. And we were stubborn in never giving up on developing the perfect formula. After several years of exhaustive R&D, we created the first stain remover in history to include all six plant-based enzymes (our closest competitor uses only three).
The end result is one of our top sellers, and hands-down Sean and Paul’s favorite product in our lineup: Puracy Natural Stain Remover.
2017
Puracy supports Hurricane Harvey efforts with $40,000 in donations
When Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm, plowed into Houston, it devastated the city. The American Red Cross sent out a call for help -- people were desperately in need of basic necessities like hand soap and other cleaning products.
Puracy responded by creating a "one-for-three" promotion that allowed the company and consumers to give back. For every Puracy product purchased, we donated three Puracy products to those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
The end result? We donated more than $40,000 in products to the Red Cross.
2018
Puracy celebrates 20,000+ five-star reviews
We’ve got a lot of fans. Over the past six years we've used all feedback -- both good and bad -- to help improve our products. This two-way dialogue, along with a relentless focus on product improvement, is what has helped us generate 20,000+ five-star reviews on Amazon, Target, and Puracy.com. We love that you love our products, and we do listen!
Puracy takes the lead with eco-friendly refill pouches
We’re proud to be an industry leader when it comes to being eco-conscious and not wasting plastic. In fact, since our inception, our refill pouches have now saved more than 200 tons of plastic.
Our 64-ounce refill pouches use 90% less plastic, water, and energy compared to traditional bottles. We now offer the largest refill pouches on the market for many of your favorite Puracy products -- from hand soap to body wash and many products in between.
2019
Puracy keeps racking up the awards
Since its inception, Puracy has received more than 70 independently tested "best of" awards in our three main categories: household, baby, and personal care. For example, our Multi-Surface Cleaner was rated "The Best All-Purpose Cleaner" by a division of The New York Times. We also snagged the award for “Best Bathroom Cleaning Products” from Business Insider. Learn more about our laundry list of awards here!
A Word From Puracy's Founders
The dynamic duo who started Puracy share their thoughts on proud moments, their company anniversary, and the legacy they hope Puracy leaves behind.
What are you most proud of when it comes to Puracy?
Paul: I have five young children at home, and each and every day my goal as a parent is to keep them healthy, happy, and safe. Every time I use a Puracy product around the house, I know I'm doing my part to keep our household free of harsh chemicals. And I'm proud to have started a company that helps millions of other young parents do the same thing.
Founder Paul Tracy and family
Sean: I’m most proud that the vision we came up with six years ago – to make better performing plant-derived products with attractive packaging while supporting charities – has resonated with millions of loyal customers.
Founder Sean Busch and Family
How does it feel to be celebrating six years in business?
Paul: It's been a phenomenal ride with many highs and lows throughout the journey. Most businesses fail within the first few years. And in our case, we had a shoestring budget with no outside funding, yet we entered a market where we knew we'd be competing mostly with multi-billion-dollar international conglomerates. The fact that despite the odds being stacked against us, Puracy is not only surviving, but thriving and growing by leaps and bounds, is something we're incredibly humbled by.
Sean: Surreal. Exhilarating. Sometimes quite tough. Starting a business is much like raising a child from birth. In some respects, it feels like we started this a year or two ago. In others, it feels way longer than 6 years. It has been a continuous evolution of hard work and constant improvements anchored by our core values. This milestone has provided a nice inflection point to look at where we’ve come and what the next 6 years look like.
What do you hope the Puracy legacy will be?
Paul: Decades from now, I hope Puracy will be widely admired as a different kind of household and personal care company -- one that cares more about quality and innovative ingredients than profit margins. One that cares more about the environment than about capturing attention with giant, flashy bottles. And one that is truly dedicated to making a difference in our local community.
Sean: I hope that our children’s children will see us continuing to push the bar on innovation, sustainability, and safety. I hope that we cement ourselves in more minds as a trusted source for exceptional products, transparency, and customer trust. These have been the core parts of our credo since day 1, and I believe that the millions of lives we’ve touched so far will grow to tens of millions, maybe more.
