Better Life used to be on our Good Stuff list for its natural ingredients. But they snuck in preservatives called benzisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone into their laundry liquid which can irritate skin.
Ecover gets an A from EWG, but because it contains sodium laureth sulfate, which is known to be contaminated with carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane, I consider it to be Sneaky Stuff.
Grove Collaborative’s Ultra-Concentrated Laundry Detergent has plant-based power and eco-friendly features. But a closer look at the ingredients list reveals benzisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone.
Melaleuca Mela Power Laundry is going to remain here in Sneaky Stuff until this brand gets back to me with a list of any of the ingredients found in it.
Method laundry products contain a number of concerning ingredients, from synthetic fragrances to PEG chemicals and preservatives such as methylisothiazolinone, a suspected neurotoxin.
Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Laundry Detergent. Contains synthetic fragrance (though phthalate-free), and preservatives such as methylisothiazolinone, a suspected neurotoxin. EWG Score: F.
Ology Laundry Liquid contains a bunch of ingredients that give me pause, from laureth-7 to cocamidopropyl betaine. EWG Score B, which I disagree with.
Puracy laundry detergent contains borax, which doesn’t worry me, but which I know many of my readers would prefer to avoid. Worse, it uses cocamidopropyl betaine as a surfactant.
Rockin’ Green laundry detergent sounds pretty cool, right? They use plant-based ingredients and it’s free of harsh chemicals, but here’s the hitch: they don’t provide specific details about their “naturally-derived” fragrances. For us to give them a thumbs up, we need the full scoop on what makes this option safe.
Sapadilla Lovely Liquid Laundry Liquid contains cocamidopropyl betaine.
Seventh Generation Liquid Formulas also contain methylisothiazolinone. This raises the question: is Seventh Generation laundry detergent safe? The powder formulas are okay, but not quite Good Stuff. EWG Score: D.
Tide Free & Gentle contains optical brightener and 1,4-dioxane, a probable carcinogen. (A recent New York Times blog post discussed Tide Free & GentleTide Free & Gentle specifically.) EWG Score: F.
While Trader Joe’s laundry has removed some problematic ingredients (like optical brighteners and synthetic fragrance), it’s still worth wondering if Trader Joe’s laundry detergent is safe. You may also wonder if Trader Joe’s laundry detergent is non-toxic, but unfortunately, they still use cocamidopropyl betaine as their surfactant.
While Grove Collaborative emphasizes its plant-based cleaning power and eco-friendly packaging, it contains benzisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone.
Tru Earth laundry detergent is a popular brand that comes in strips for easy use. While it avoids some harsher chemicals, it contains cocamidopropyl betaine and synthetic fragrance, which doesn’t meet our criteria for the Good Stuff list.
