Best Green Non-Toxic Laundry Detergents for Sensitive Skin 2021

Oct 15, 2024

September 25, 2024 // by Leah Segedie

Need the best non-toxic green laundry detergent for sensitive skin? The thought of clean laundry brings to my mind fresh clothing and crisp linens with a snuggly bear touting a particular brand of fabric softener. But what about the harsh chemicals used in most laundry detergents? It’s no wonder so many kids suffer rashes or eczema from detergent. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like safest laundry detergent sheets sans PFAS “forever chemicals,” safest cookware, safest olive oils tested for phthalates, & safest shampoos, now join us as we explore the best (& worst) non-toxic laundry detergents for sensitive skin and tips for what ingredients to avoid.

Disclosure: This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. Donations were provided by Environmental Health News and Mamavation community members. Note that Mamavation has only “spot-checked” the industry and thus we cannot make predictions about brands and products that we have not tested. Products and manufacturing aides can change without notice so buyer beware. This post contains affiliate links, with most to Amazon, which means Mamavation will receive a portion of those sales and we will use that to pay ourselves back for the testing. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Thank you! Copyright © 2024 Mamavation — All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents

Mamavation is looking for eco-friendly, green, & non-toxic laundry detergent for sensitive skin that has the following qualities:

Because we use so much washing soda for dirt and stains and it eventually makes its way into streams and other water systems, it’s important to consider purchasing from brands prioritizing green and non-toxic ingredients for our washing machines. We want to also get those grease stains or other tough stains out while still using less water in high-efficiency washing machines. Are these laundry formulas out there? Yes, and they are available in both liquid form and powders.

We looked at the most popular brands of laundry detergents and found that the amount of problematic ingredients is vast. If you want the best non-toxic green laundry detergents for sensitive skin this list includes everything from mild irritants and allergens to endocrine disruptors and cancer-causing agents that can be found in your local laundromat or in your home:

Although fragrances give you that sense of things smelling clean, they do more to trick you than actually help you. Your brain is hard-wired to associate certain scents with clean, but did you know that those scents can also contain hormone-disrupting chemicals? Sadly, they can trick your brain into thinking they are good for you in that regard.

Phthalates are plasticizer chemicals used to make scents carry longer inside your indoor air and in the bottle, but they come with some health risks. Prenatal exposure in utero to phthalates are linked to attention problems in children. Phthalates are also closely linked to risks to children like attention deficit disorder (ADD), and other behavioral disorders. Here are some additional health problems linked with phthalates:

However, phthalates are rarely on the label, so good luck finding them, but they are typically found in the ingredient “fragrance” on the label. Technically, thousands of chemicals are approved to list under the ingredient “fragrance.” But there’s more:

Mamavation has also tested several cooking oils for phthalates like olive oils, coconut oil, & avocado oils.

Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that mimic estrogen and are linked to both hormonal problems and cancer. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), NPEs have been associated with reproductive and developmental effects in lab studies on rodents and are highly toxic to aquatic life. They have been found in human breast milk, too. While the EPA is starting to take action on NPEs, they have not yet banned them.

Although this chemical is not supposed to be used in “eco-friendly” products, studies have discovered it in a number of laundry detergents anyways. 1,4-dioxane isn’t added directly to your laundry detergent, it’s a contaminant that gets in during a process called ethoxylation when ethylene oxide is added to other ingredients to make them less harsh in processing.

Ingredients like sodium laureth sulfate are ethoxylated because they are harsh on the skin. This process is what creates the contamination of 1,4-dioxane.

The EPA has determined that this chemical is a probable human carcinogen.

Surfactants help to clean your clothes, but when they are synthetically derived or petroleum-based, they are the most harmful. Surfactants can be divided into three categories:

Phosphates are difficult to remove, even in wastewater processing systems, and can pose a threat to the environment. According to the EPA, they promote algae growth that decreases the oxygen that many aquatic life forms need to survive. Studies also link them to cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and death in animals.

Chlorine bleach, such as Clorox, can burn the skin, and can cause eye damage and respiratory issues. It is classified as a hazardous chemical in its initial state.

Lab studies have shown this chemical to harm fertility, cause miscarriages, and cause severe birth defects in animals. According to Chemical of the Day, they can also trigger skin and respiratory irritations as well as allergies. Some quats are also EDCs and some are toxic to aquatic life. Not much is known about its effect on humans, but this is definitely a chemical you don’t want around your children.

According to its own material safety sheet, this benzyl acetate is toxic if inhaled or ingested. It’s also irritating to eyes, lungs, and skin. Benzene-based ingredients are often toxic.

The EPA states that this chemical can irritate your throat, skin, or eyes and may have even more serious health effects. In animal lab studies, it has also been associated with harmful effects during pregnancy, neurological effects, and more.

These chemicals create the “optical illusion” of brighter whites. They “coat” your clothing and remain after washing, meaning that your family’s skin is constantly exposed to them. According to the material safety sheet, they are extremely toxic to aquatic life. They are also an irritant to skin, eyes, and lungs, and can be harmful if ingested.

Quaternium-15 releases formaldehyde. Additionally, some companies add formaldehyde to their products. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and toxicant.

We know that artificial dyes are associated with ADHD. And artificial preservatives, like BHT and BHA, may be carcinogenic or an endocrine disruptor. You should avoid these as much as possible.

More manufacturers are adding silver nanoparticles to clothing to combat odor-causing bacteria. These can seep back into wastewater, in this case, from your washing machine. They are harmful to ecosystems and can damage fish and other animals as well as their embryos, according to research. They can also prevent wastewater treatment systems from functioning properly. You may want to limit how many “odor-reducing” clothing articles you buy for your family, especially underwear.

Mamavation is recommending you try out Truly Free laundry detergent if you would like a non-toxic brand that works on tough stains. This brand reduces your exposure to immune-impacting toxins that are typically found in laundry detergents, so you can confidently wash everyone’s laundry, including your infant, with this product.

Truly Free has offered special discounts on their products for being a fan of Mamavation. Click here to automatically get a discount on Truly Free laundry detergent products. Here are some details and options:

Mamavation combed through 200+ Laundry Detergents online. Brands offering no or incomplete ingredient disclosure were deemed not our favorite. So were laundry detergents that cleaned with an abundance of ingredients harmful to the Planet and the humans on it.

Here are some additional investigations we thought you’d be interested in:

These brands contain many of the chemicals from our toxic ingredient list above. We specifically were looking for brands that had Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), benzisothiazolinone, and methylisothiazolinone. Most noteworthy is this category has over 4 problematic chemicals in their formula. Please take note that some brands have other products in other categories.

These brands are better but may contain 2 or 3 of the above ingredients. Most have naturally derived versions of certain chemicals and derive their scents naturally, and are clear of the worst of the “bad” chemicals. However, these are better products than those listed above and do not contain the worst offenders on the above list. That said, these chemicals do not pose a high risk but maybe something to avoid if you have sensitive skin, allergies, or are autoimmune compromised. One more thing to note about this section is it contains ALL additional “natural” brand that did not offer 100% fragrance disclosure. If we didn’t know what the fragrance was, we added it here.

We are happy to announce that this list is long enough to provide you with plenty of options! This category has one or no problematic ingredients. This would be the safest alternative for people who are chemically sensitive, however because this category is mostly non-toxic, you may lose some effectiveness in cleaning. If you decide that you still want effectiveness as the priority, go back to the “better” category to shop. Pay attention to products because some brands have products in different categories.

If this list of toxic laundry detergents surprised you, I’m sorry to say that it gets worse. Almost all laundry aides – dryer sheets, fabric softener, and stain remover – use toxic chemicals. Most fabric softeners, for example, contain quats but they also have fragrance, or artificial preservatives and colors. Dryer sheets fare even worse.

If you want to use these products, here are some of the safest choices:

So what can you use in your high-efficiency washer and is laundry detergent toxic? Many brands are but you don’t have to stop washing your clothes. (Bad news for your teenager!) There are a lot of brands you can choose from to keep your family safe and freshly laundered. Or, take the plunge and DIY your laundry cleaners. You won’t regret it!