I’ve tested tons of non-toxic laundry detergent brands over the years, and I’m finally sharing what’s actually worth getting. The best natural laundry detergent will be made with plant-based ingredients and without any harmful chemicals, phosphates, chlorine, optical brighteners, harsh surfactants, fragrances, dyes, or synthetic nonylphenol ethoxylates.

I personally purchased and tested all these detergents myself using each brand’s recommended amount on medium heat. I’ve tried them on stains as well as normal soiled clothing.

Ingredients to Avoid in Laundry Detergent

• Bleach: Can cause irritation and harmful byproducts. It can be written as “sodium hypochlorite,” “optical brightener,” or “UV brightener.”
• Nonylphenol ethoxylate: These are hormones disruptors that are harmful to developing fetus, young children and wildlife. Now banned in most products but some “natural” detergent companies still use them.
• Harsh Surfectants:
  • Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS): Common synthetic surfactants that can cause skin irritation, rashes, and eczema. 
  • Petroleum distillate or naphtha: can increase inflammation in the lungs and can worsen asthma.
  • Phenol: can be even more harmful than petroleum distillate or naphtha
  • Quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) resist biodegrading and persist in the environment. 

• Phosphates: These are known respiratory irritants, skin allergens, and developmental and reproductive toxicants.
• Formaldehyde: Can irritate the eyes, lungs, and worsen skin conditions like eczema.
• Fragrance: a chemical concoction of up to 3,000 synthetic chemicals that are allergens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, and carcinogens
• Artificial Dyes: Can cause skin irritation and allergies

Why I Don’t Recommend Seventh Generation

I don’t recommend Seventh Generation for a couple of reasons. If you look closely at their ingredients, you’ll find that they do include irritants and ethoxylated ingredients. The fact that Seventh Generation is a Unilever brand doesn’t help either.

Best Natural Laundry Detergents Compared

I tried Branch Basics Laundry Detergent

I was actually pretty impressed by Branch Basics Laundry Detergent, especially on my whites and light colors. Their formula uses plant-based cleaning aids like sodium percarbonate, decyl glucoside and Sodium Polyitaconate and is completely free of ethoxylates, harmful VOCs, fragrance, dyes, ammonia, optical brighteners, chlorine and 1,4-dioxane. What sets Branch Basics apart is they do contain TEAD, which is a bleach activator and why it’s so great at brightening whites, and it has enzymes like Protease and Amylase to break down stains.

My workout clothes are made of natural fibers so I can only wash them on cold and Branch Basics still completely deodorizes them, mostly removes stubborn stains, and completely for any minor ones. For more difficult stains I absolutely need to wash on warm and for larger loads I use at least two scoops. Their laundry powder is fragrance free, but my stinky workout gear comes out smelling super fresh. The downside is they’re on the expensive side and cost about double my favorite laundry powder from Meliora but aren’t as effective as say Dirty Labs.

Price: $39 for 120 loads

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I tried Meliora Laundry Powder

Meliora has been my overall favorite for being eco-friendly, all natural, affordable – and it actually works! I love knowing it’s truly safe (they’re Made Safe Certified!) and that it contains a simple blend of natural and organic ingredients. It’s the cleanest formula ever with baking soda, washing soda, vegetable soap made with organic coconut oil and organic essential oils. I only need half a teaspoon for a standard load, and my smelly workout clothes come out fresh and clean and the colors never fade. For dirtier loads I’ve found an extra scoop does the trick. Plus, their cans are jumbo-sized and give the most number of laundry loads I’ve seen compared to other natural detergents. They offer refills which are even more affordable at under $17.

Price: $20.99 for 128 HE or 64 standard loads

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I tried Puracy Laundry Detergent

Puracy Liquid Laundry Detergent is another one of my top picks for a natural laundry detergent that actually works AND is affordable. The formula is 99.4% natural, 10x concentrated, hypoallergenic and biodegradable. Puracy has NO sulfates, perfumes, artificial fragrances, petrochemicals, caustics, phosphates, animal by-products, dyes, chlorine, allergens, or optical brighteners. I love that the formula is a little more advanced with four different plant-based enzymes to get rid of stains and odors, along with Zinc Ricinoleate for more odor fighting power. I found it to be highly concentrated and effective at getting coffee stains off my clothes! Plus it’s versatile, since I can use the liquid to pre-treat stains. Two pumps usually always does the trick for me even when I have stubborn skincare and makeup stained onto my clothes. Puracy comes in unscented and a fresh linen scent.

Price: $22.99 for 64 loads

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I tried Blueland Laundry Tablets

Blueland is a fantastic sustainable and 100% plastic-free option that comes in tablet form. I find their tablets particularly convenient because there’s no measuring or spill accidents involved. I just throw a tablet in and start the cycle! I love that they include enzymes in their formula and feel like the tablets do a great job at cleaning dirty laundry loads. Simple, eco-friendly, affordable, great to take when I travel – basically zero complaints. For larger loads I make sure to use two tablets. There’s no parabens, phosphates, ammonia, VOCs, chlorine bleach, or phthalates. The only downside is that I have to use a separate product if I want to pre-treat stains.

Price: $25 for a Starter Set / $21 for refill

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I tried Dirty Labs Bio Enzyme Laundry Detergent (luxe!)

Dirty Labs is one of the most advanced and luxurious nontoxic laundry detergents I’ve tried. They’re 100% USDA Biobased certified, Certified EPA Safer Choice, packaged in recyclable aluminum and dermatologist tested. This has got a high-tech formula that features the brand’s proprietary 5-in-1 enzyme-driven cleaning technology called Phytolase. This does everything I want my detergent to do: fights stains, brightens clothes and actually removes odors not just masks it. I was blown away by their Magnolia Bergamot Cedar and Jasmine Matcha Vetiver scents, but they also have an unscented version (safest option). I used Dirty Labs to spot treat some coffee splatters on my white pullover and it came out of the wash completely clean. Even my stinky activewear comes out smelling clean and heavenly. Dirty Labs is pricier than the other options in my list, but does feel more premium. I love how soft and clean my dirty laundry comes out with just a small amount of this liquid.

Price: $16 for 32 loads

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I tried Mollys Suds Laundry Detergent

Mollys Suds Laundry Powder is made with just five simple ingredients that work well for not too dirty loads. I love that this brand was founded by a mom and pediatric nurse and the brand is radically transparent and committed to being safe for children and the family. It’s scented 100% naturally and the fresh, crisp peppermint scent gives my clothes an extra clean feeling! This powder comes in a generous-sized bag and is good for 120 loads. It’s made of Sodium Carbonate (sourced from the Green River Basin in Wyoming), Sodium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Sulfate (Heptahydrate), Unrefined Sea Salt and Essential Oils.

Price: $22.99 for 120 loads

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I tried ZUM Laundry Soap

Even though ZUM’s is technically laundry soap instead of detergent, I still find this to work well on an average load that isn’t too dirty for an insanely affordable price point. ZUM is made with a simple blend of essential oils, coconut oil, baking soda, and vegetable glycerin. If you love aromatherapy, a major plus is their laundry soaps come in a great variety of aromatherapeutic scents. The colors of my clothes don’t fade using this and come out smelling amazing. My favorite is the Frankincense one for a unique earthy scent.

Price: $21 for 64 fl oz

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I tried Soap Berries

I’ve tried soap berries in the past, and I can’t bring myself to trust them as much as commercial natural laundry detergent even though they seem to work fine. Soap berries are a super crunchy option if you want the most eco-friendly and natural alternative out there. They’re made from hand-picked wild soap nuts that grow in the mountains and work as laundry detergent because they’re high in saponins, which are natural surfactants. I put 4-8 berries depending on the load in a little bag or sock and throw it into the laundry. They can be used up to 4 times!

Price: $34 for 340 loads

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