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There are a ton of gentle, sensitive, and hypoallergenic laundry detergents on the market — which can be a lifesaver when you’re a new parent. But it can also be difficult to separate the hype from the actual results. We’ve rounded up detergents that are safe for babies (and adults!), are legitimately nontoxic, and work in different contexts, from washing while traveling to getting rid of the most stubborn stains.
Why consider nontoxic baby laundry detergent?
Babies’ skin is delicate, and their immune systems aren’t developed yet. As a result, it’s more likely that they’ll experience irritation, dryness, and even eczema and contact dermatitis from harsh chemicals. It’s also easier for harmful substances to be absorbed through the skin. Chemicals can trigger allergic reactions or leave harmful residue, which can even irritate the respiratory system (in both children and adults). In the case of detergent, it’s extra important that there are no harmful ingredients, since clothes sit directly against babies’ skin all day.
What should you look for when shopping?
There are many detergents on the market that advertise themselves as being soft and gentle enough for small children. But how do you know which ones are soft — but also powerful — enough?
- Ingredients: Specifically, you’ll want to avoid ingredients that might irritate a baby’s skin, including synthetic fragrances, dyes, optical brighteners, phthalates, sulfates, and parabens. Look instead for bio-based ingredients, including gentle surfactants and enzymes.
- Certifications/Verifications: Look for “hypoallergenic” labels and brands that are third-party tested and verified by clinical experts. The National Eczema Association offers verification, and there are other trustworthy sources including EPA Safer Choice, EWG Verified, and USDA Certified Biobased.
- Cost (and Price Per Wash): The cost of the item is not as relevant as how much product is needed to wash your clothes. If an item’s more expensive but you can get more washes out of it, that means fewer bottles purchased, less waste, and a lower cost in the long run. Additionally, if you buy a bigger bottle, you might get more washes and thus a lower price per wash.
- Strength: The offerings on this list range from extremely gentle but not as powerful on heavy-duty stains to extremely powerful and highly concentrated. The detergent you want will depend on your specific needs (and you might need more than one).
Our criteria:
Our team has spent years researching sustainable, nontoxic laundry detergents and testing options in our own homes. For this guide, we researched the best detergents available today, compared ingredients and value, and read through thousands of customer reviews to curate our favorite options for every budget (with prices starting at $15). We update this guide regularly with new brands and styles that meet our criteria below.
- NATURAL/NONTOXIC | Each of these brands offers different ways to clean clothes, but each of them strives for the highest percentage of natural ingredients, with no toxic chemicals and many with added sustainability features.
- EFFECTIVE | We prioritized laundry detergents that actually worked, i.e., weren’t so gentle that they didn’t actually clean the clothes — especially since baby garments can get dirty.
- AFFORDABLE | While some of these brands are more expensive than others, they all deliver an effective price per wash. So even when you’re spending more, you’re getting what you pay for.
If you want to learn more about the subject, read our comprehensive nontoxic laundry detergent guide. We also researched organic baby clothes for the best options for their skin — and the best organic t-shirts for your skin, too.
1. Wishing Well
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Best for | All-around favorite
Ingredients | Dye-free, paraben-free, phosphate-free, dye-free, no optical brightness, phthalate-free, chlorine-free, paraben-free
Features | Fragrance-free option, cruelty-free, vegan, phthalate-free, phosphates-free, no optical brighteners, stain-fighting enzymes
Price per wash | $0.36 ($27 for up to 74 small loads)
Female-founded Wishing Well reimagines the laundry experience as luxurious and even full of delight — their products are envisioned as inspiring self-care (instead of being a boring chore). Their laundry detergents are designed to be super-powerful but without nasty ingredients; they have two perfume-based scents (Afterglow, with a floral and fruity scent, and Boyfriend Material, with a crisp woody smell), and then the unscented Sunday Reset. It’s ultra-concentrated — you only need two pumps her load — but the enzyme blend and anti-odor technology is still cruelty-free, vegan, easy on sensitive skin, and made without ingredients like dyes, parabens, phthalates, optical brighteners, or chlorine bleach. It’s made in the USA and comes in a pretty recyclable aluminum bottle for minimizing their environmental footprint. Because a little goes a long way, you can also go longer without buying a new bottle — plus, you can subscribe and save. Two pumps work for a small load, four for a medium or dirty load, and six for heavy-duty soiled clothes…for example, dirty cloth diapers. You can also use the detergent to hand-wash delicates like handmade baby clothes. It’s actually optimized for cold water, meaning it’ll work just as effectively when you’re cleaning something special.
Customer Review | “As a mom to 3 kiddos, I pay a lot more attention to the products we use every day, especially anything that touches my baby or toddler’s skin. I’ve been using the fragrance-free Sunday Reset detergent from Wishing Well, and it’s quickly become a staple in our home!!!! I love that it’s non-toxic without added fragrance, which gives me peace of mind when washing baby clothes, blankets, burp cloths, and all the endless loads of laundry that come with motherhood(iykyk:)) It cleans really well, leaves everything feeling fresh, and I don’t have to worry about a strong scent lingering on our clothes!!” – Clare H. (Read more reviews.)
2. Molly’s Suds
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Best for | Transparent ingredient list
Ingredients | Free from artificial fragrances, synthetic dye-free, cruelty-free
Features | Eco-friendly, transparent ingredients, no synthetic fragrances or dyes, powder option, sold locally
Price per wash | $0.25 ($25 for 100 loads of laundry)
Eco-friendly cleaning brand Molly’s Suds is committed to using the safest, simplest ingredients to be safe for babies and children. They also believe in radical transparency, including full lists of all their ingredients with detailed explanations of how they’re used. (That’s also a good resource for understanding cleaning ingredients generally!) Their Baby Liquid Laundry Detergent is a concentrated formula that works in all different types of washing machines up to 100 loads of laundry, made without synthetic fragrances, dyes, formaldehyde, phosphates, chlorine, optical brighteners, and other potentially harmful ingredients. They also have Baby Laundry Powder, which has an even better price per wash: $25 for up to 120 loads of laundry, or $0.21 per load of laundry! Both are gentle on skin and tough on formula, soiled clothes, and spit-up — something that not all detergents do. The product tends to work best in hot water, particularly if you’ve got a dirty or heavy-duty load, but if you’re using cold water you can pre-treat with their Stain Remover Spray and an extra dose of the detergent or powder. If you’re in the market for more natural laundry supplies, they have other products including Plant-Based Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets and Wool Dryer Balls. Check out their store locator, since it might be sold near you.
Customer Review | “I appreciate how this laundry soap is unscented and made with safe ingredients for my baby! It is so easy to use and leaves clothes feeling clean without making them smell like overpowering laundry soap.” – MacKenzie B. (Read more reviews.)
3. Miss Mouth’s
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Best for | Sheets for travel
Ingredients | Free from artificial fragrances, chlorine-free, dye-free, peroxide-free, free of animal byproducts
Features | Dissolvable sheets, no residue, easy for on-the-go, subscribe and save, clinically tested
Price per wash | $0.27 ($16 for 60 loads)
Miss Mouth’s might be most famous for their Messy Eater Stain Treater, which parents love for getting messes out of clothes and home decor. But the brand also has Laundry Detergent Sheets, which (in combination with the stain treater for stubborn stains) works as a one-two punch on dirty baby clothes. Because they come in sheets, instead of a more cumbersome liquid, they’re also a favorite product for parents who need to do laundry while they’re traveling — you can subscribe and save if your family travels a lot. They also waste less water and plastic, so they make for a sustainable laundry solution; instead of having to measure out an amount, it’s already pre-measured for you. You just put a sheet into the laundry and it dissolves quickly without leaving a residue. Reviewers note that the sheets work well for standard or light loads, but you might want to use more than one for heavy and soiled loads. Generally, the brand has a high standard for products. They undergo pediatric, clinical, and dermatological testing to ensure that their products don’t contain ingredients like irritants, artificial fragrances, and other allergens — and they’re EPA Safer Choice-Certified standard.
Customer Review | “Miss Mouth’s should be at every home with a baby or toddler. Idk how, but it’s magical. I take these sheets with me whenever I’m going overnight/vacation with baby. Throw one in the sink or tub and clothes are clean again!” – Jill (Read more reviews.)
4. Attitude
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Best for | Sustainability
Ingredients | Free from artificial fragrances, phosphate-free, dye-free, SLES-free, artificial brightener-free
Features | Dermatologically tested, easy to refill, subscribe and save, good for the family, effective in cold water
Price per wash | $0.49 ($17 for 35 loads)
A Montreal-based personal care company founded two decades ago, Attitude has a whole line of dermatologically tested baby household products, including fabric softener, stain remover, and dish soap. Their Baby Laundry Detergent comes in two sizes, 35.2 and 67.6 fl oz; the latter is one of their bestsellers, and you can subscribe for more savings. Their unscented, 98.9% naturally derived formula is free of enzymes and EWG VERIFIED (and thus banning about 10,000 harmful ingredients), vegan, and cruelty-free. The formula is also effective for cold water loads (which saves energy), and suitable for everyone in the family to use — meaning you only have to use one detergent for everyone’s needs. It’s particularly worth it for fabrics that come in direct contact with the skin, like cloth diapers, undershirts, and pajamas. Pre-treating stubborn stains can help with effectiveness, although reviewers note it’s pretty potent on its own. And you can buy 2-liter refill boxes to replenish your bottle without needing to buy more plastic, and you can easily recycle your bottle when it’s worn out. Check to see where they’re sold, because some of their retailers carry Attitude products in bulk.
Customer Review | “I love this laundry detergent for our baby. He has sensitive skin and this doesn’t break him out. We love that it comes in bulk so we don’t go through it as fast! Highly recommend.” – Morgan (Read more reviews.)
5. Dirty Labs
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Best for | Enzymes for tough stains
Ingredients | BPA-free, dye-free, SLS/SLES-free, paraben-free, optical brightener-free, chlorine-free, free from artificial fragrances, phthalate-free, USDA-certified biobased ingredients
Features | Gentle enzymes, developed by experts, concentrated, comparable to big brands, subscribe and save, recyclable material
Price per wash | $0.50 ($16 for 32 loads) but less ($0.32) with the bigger bottle
An eco-friendly home cleaning brand, Dirty Labs specializes in bio-based enzyme cleaning supplies that replace harsher chemicals. (If you’re not familiar, enzymes can break down a high volume of stains and odors at the molecular level. They usually work best on non-delicate materials like cotton, and Dirty Labs specially designs their product to be gentle on skin.) They have a strong Bio Enzyme Laundry Detergent, developed by chemists, biologists, and environmentalists, with two scents and an unscented option. There’s two sizes and you can subscribe and save, with frequency recommendations based on how often you do your laundry. It’s super-concentrated — as little as a teaspoon will work for a full load — and tough on stains, with reviewers saying it works just as well as mainstream brands like Tide. On top of that, it’s biodegradable, vegan, cruelty-free and without dyes, SLS, SLES, parabens, and other harmful materials. It’s also hypoallergenic and recognized by the National Eczema Association. The bottle is made from recycled aluminum, the better to re-use and re-recycle. Dirty Labs is recognized as an EPA Safer Choice, USDA Certified Biobased, and EWG Verified. You can see all their certifications on their safety data sheet.
Customer Review | “No compromises — mean and green! With every other detergent (“normal” or green), I have to use a pre-wash spray on my armpit stains (and anything else that’s sweaty) before washing. Dirty Labs gets the smell out all by itself! It also removed armpit stains that were multiple years old! Knew there was a reason I was saving that shirt!” – KC (Read more reviews.)
6. Puracy
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Best for | Affordability
Ingredients | Free from artificial fragrance, USDA-certified biobased ingredients, bleach-free, sulfate-free, dye-free, brightener-free, SLS/SLES-free, phosphate-free
Features | Super-concentrated, four gentle enzymes, good for the whole family, bio-based, cruelty-free, subscribe and save
Price per wash | $0.24 ($15 for 64 loads)
Developed with oversight from doctors and chemists and designed for anyone with sensitive skin, Puracy is known for its super-powerful personal and home care products. That reputation is especially well-deserved when it comes to their bestselling free and clear laundry detergent. They have a distinct Baby Laundry Detergent, which is even gentler than the regular version and is reportedly 10 times more concentrated than other baby detergents. Hypoallergenic, unscented, and with four plant-based enzymes (protease, amylase, lipase, and mannanase) to deliver intense cleaning, it works for tough-to-get-out stains including bodily fluids, food, milk, and spit-up. It cleans all your fabrics, from clothing to bedding and burp cloths and toys. It even works well on cloth diapers, which are notoriously difficult to keep clean. And, on top of that, you can use it on your own clothes, especially when they’ve also been blessed with food and spit up. There are no sulfates, perfumes, petrochemicals, phosphates, dyes, chlorine, or allergens, among others. It’s USDA Biobased and certified PETA cruelty-free. A 16-oz pump bottle yields up to 64 loads, with only ¼ ounce needed per load — and you can subscribe and save. For impossible stains, add their Baby Stain Remover.
Customer Review | “Best product! Leaves my clothes clean and doesn’t fade the fabric, My 3.5 year old hasn’t been able to produce a stain that Puracy LLC products haven’t been able to tackle!” – Willamina K. (Read more reviews.)
7. Dropps
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Best for | Sensitive skin
Ingredients | Water-soluble pod film, free from artificial fragrance, USDA-certified biobased ingredients, sulfate-free, dye-free, brightener-free, phosphate-free
Features | Biodegradable pods, clinically and third-party tested, tested, enzyme-free, extra gentle formula
Price per wash | $0.46 ($30 for 64 pods)
Dropps is an eco-friendly cleaning brand most well-known for making the first pre-measured laundry detergent pod. Since then, they’ve continued to perfect their offerings, including with their Sensitive Skin Laundry Detergent (coming in scented or unscented). Leaping Bunny Certified and approved by the clinical and dermatological experts at the National Eczema Association, the formulation is enzyme-free for an extra-gentle effect on skin, instead relying on surfactants to rinse away oil and dirt. The pod is water-soluble and biodegradable, with the same tech used in vitamin capsules and breath strips. Inside is a bio-based formula that’s free of phthalates, parabens, phosphates, fragrances, dyes, and chlorine. You can use one pod for a regular load, two for a large load, and three for an extra-large load (and the pods will work in both regular and high-efficiency washing machines). Each formula in their Sensitive Skin line, including this one, is subjected to third-party skin patch testing to confirm that it won’t aggravate different sensitive skin types. In other words: if you or your baby reacts to even some of the free and clear detergents, this one is formulated to be extra-extra-gentle on your clothes and skin.
Customer Review | “Every time I throw a pod in the washer, I get a little glow thinking I’m doing the best I can for the planet. Also, I love the scent and the fact it’s for sensitive skin. Often I have to buy unscented products to avoid irritation. Love me some Dropps!” – Alexis (Read more reviews.)
Featured image is from Molly’s Suds
Katherine J. Igoe is a writer and editor who covers fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, with sustainability at the core of her work. She’s written for The New York Times, The Cut, InStyle, etc., and been a contributing editor at Cosmo and Marie Claire.
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