The present invention provides a shear thinning, transparent gel laundry detergent composition, comprising a surfactant system containing surfactant material selected from an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant or a mixture thereof, and from 0.1 to 10% by weight of a clarity improving agent being a glycol dialkyl ether selected from a mono-or polyethylene glycol dialkyl ether having the formula (C.sub.pH.sub.2p+1)O--(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.n--(C.sub.qH.sub.2q+1), (I) a mono- or polypropylene glycol dialkyl ether having the formula (C.sub.pH.sub.2p+1)O--(CH.sub.2CH (CH.sub.3)O).sub.n--(C.sub.qH.sub.2q+1), (II) and mixtures thereof, wherein p and q independently are integers in the range of from 1 to 5, and n is an integer in the range of from 1 to 50, preferably 1 to 10. It has been found that this gel laundry composition is highly transparent, such that particles can be suspended therein for improving visual appearance.