Liquid laundry compositions containing having improved brightener stability, which contain from about 6% to about 20%, by weight of the laundry composition, of a surfactant component that includes from about 1% to about 6%, by weight of the laundry composition, of a mid-branched primary alkyl sulfate surfactant having an average carbon chain length of from about 16 to about 17 and from about 0.5% to about 9%, by weight of the laundry composition, of an HLAS surfactant selected from alkyl benzene sulfonic acids, alkali metal salts of C10-16 alkyl benzene sulfonic acids, in combination with from about 0.03% to about 0.2%, by weight of the laundry composition, a water-insoluble optical brightener having a water solubility when measured at about 50° C. of from 0 to about 2 g / l; and from about 0.5% to about 4%, by weight of the laundry composition, of monethanolamine, wherein the ratio of HLAS surfactant to a total amount of surfactant, on a weight basis, is from about 1:14 to about 5:7; the ratio of monoethanolamine to the total amount of surfactant is from about 1:15 to about 1:4; and the ratio of water insoluble brightener to the total amount of surfactant is lower than about 1:100. Methods of improving the deposition of a water-insoluble brightener onto fabrics using such compositions.