
Laundry Detergents Rated: The Good, Okay & Ones I’d Avoid
I often get asked for laundry detergent recommendations, so I’ve checked the ingredients in some popular, readily available options and rated each one below.
Rating system 🟢🟠🔴
These ratings reflect my personal assessment of each product’s ingredients. They’re intended as a simple guide to help you make a more informed choice. You can see the ingredients I avoid or limit, and why, in my Ingredient Watchlist.
A note about these ratings: Not all products within the same rating category are equal. Some products rated red may have considerably fewer concerning ingredients than others, but still contain something that meets my deal-breaker criteria. The ingredient breakdowns below give you more detail, so you can decide for yourself where to draw the line.
Laundry Detergents Rated: The Good, Okay & Ones I’d Avoid
I often get asked for laundry detergent recommendations, so I’ve checked the ingredients in some popular, readily available options and rated each one below.
🟢 Cleaner option, better choice
No deal-breakers. May contain lower-priority watchlist ingredients that I’m comfortable with in cleaning products.
🟠 Okay, with some compromise
Contains ingredients of low to moderate concern from my watch list, but no deal-breakers.
🔴 Prefer to leave it on the shelf
Contains one or more deal-breakers, or insufficient ingredient disclosure to confidently assess the formulation.
Brands at a glance
- Ecostore Laundry Liquid – Geranium & Orange
- Ecostore Laundry Powder – Lemon
- Ecostore Ultra Sensitive Laundry Liquid – Fragrance Free
- Koala Eco Laundry Wash – Lemon Scented Eucalyptus & Rosemary
- Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Capsules
- Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Liquid
- Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Powder
- Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Laundry Liquid
- Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Laundry Powder
- Earthwise Sensitive Clean Laundry Liquid
- Lucent Globe Laundry Detergent Sheets – Ocean Breeze
- Purity Sensitive Laundry Liquid
- Undo This Mess Gold Standard Laundry Liquid
The rating system
🟢🟠🔴
These ratings reflect my personal assessment of each product’s ingredients. They’re intended as a simple guide to help you make a more informed choice. You can see the ingredients I avoid or limit, and why, in my Ingredient Watchlist.
A note about these ratings: Not all products within the same rating category are equal. Some products rated red may have considerably fewer concerning ingredients than others, but still contain something that meets my deal-breaker criteria. The ingredient breakdowns below give you more detail, so you can decide for yourself where to draw the line.
🟢 Cleaner option, better choice
No deal-breakers. May contain lower-priority watchlist ingredients that I’m comfortable with in cleaning products.
🟠 Okay, with some compromise
Contains ingredients of low-moderate concern from my watch list, but no deal-breakers.
🔴 Prefer to leave it on the shelf
Contains one or more deal-breakers, or insufficient ingredient disclosure to confidently assess the formulation.
Brands at a glance
- Ecostore Laundry Liquid – Geranium & Orange
- Ecostore Laundry Powder – Lemon
- Ecostore Ultra Sensitive Laundry Liquid – Fragrance Free
- Koala Eco Laundry Wash – Lemon Scented Eucalyptus & Rosemary
- Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Capsules
- Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Liquid
- Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Powder
- Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Laundry Liquid
- Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Laundry Powder
- Earthwise Sensitive Clean Laundry Liquid
- Lucent Globe Laundry Detergent Sheets – Ocean Breeze
- Purity Sensitive Laundry Liquid
- Undo This Mess Gold Standard Laundry Liquid
🟢 Koala Eco Laundry Wash – Lemon Scented Eucalyptus & Rosemary
Deal-breakers: None
Other flags: Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Ingredient transparency: Excellent. Ingredients are clearly listed on the website and packaging.
Water (Aqua), Decyl Glucoside, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Chloride, Eucalyptus Citriodora (Lemon Scented Eucalyptus Essential Oil), Gluconolactone, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Essential Oil), Sodium Benzoate, Citronellol (from Essential Oils), Sorbitol, Protease, Amylase, Lipase, Pectin Lyase, Limonene (from Essential Oils)
🟢 Ecostore Ultra Sensitive Laundry Liquid – Fragrance Free
Deal-breakers: None
Other flags: Sodium Coco-Sulphate, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredient transparency: Excellent. Ingredients are clearly listed on the website and packaging.
🟢 Ecostore Laundry Powder – Lemon
Deal-breakers: None
Other flags: Sodium Coco Sulphate
Ingredient transparency: Excellent. Ingredients are clearly listed on the website and packaging.
🟢 Ecostore Laundry Liquid – Geranium & Orange
Deal-breakers: None
Other flags: Sodium Coco-Sulphate, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredient transparency: Excellent. Ingredients are clearly listed on the website and packaging.
Aqua, Sodium Carbonate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Coco-Sulphate, Lauryl Glucoside, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Polyaspartate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Oleic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Limonene
🔴 Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Powder
Deal-breakers: None confirmed
Other flags: None confirmed, although several ingredients cannot be individually assessed.
Ingredient transparency: Poor. Several ingredients are described only by their function rather than identified individually. Without a complete ingredient list, I can’t confidently assess the formulation or rule out ingredients on my watchlist.
#Alkalinity sources, #Stabilizer, Cleaning agents (oxygen based), Anionic surfactant (biodegradable), #pH adjustment, Water, Nonionic surfactant (biodegradable), *Eucalyptus oil, #Flow aid, Anti-redeposition agent, Water softener and Defoamer
*Plant-based ingredients
#Naturally derived ingredients
🔴 Bosisto’s Sensitive Laundry Liquid
Deal-breakers: None confirmed
Other flags: None confirmed, although several ingredients cannot be individually assessed.
Ingredient transparency: Poor. Several ingredients are described only by their function rather than identified individually. Without a complete ingredient list, I can’t confidently assess the formulation or rule out ingredients on my watchlist.
Water, *Anionic & non-ionic (biodegradable) surfactants, Anionic (biodegradable) surfactant, #Solvent, Solvent, #Alkalinity builders, *Eucalyptus oil
*Plant-based ingredients
#Naturally derived ingredients
🔴 Bosisto's Sensitive Laundry Capsules
Deal-breakers: None confirmed
Other flags: The water-soluble capsule film isn’t identified, so it’s unclear whether it contains polyvinyl alcohol.
Ingredient transparency: Poor. Several ingredients are described only by their function rather than identified individually. The capsule film isn’t specified either. Without a complete ingredient list, I can’t confidently assess the formulation or rule out ingredients on my watchlist.
Non-ionic Surfactants (biodegradable), Solvent, *Anionic Surfactants, *Solvent, Water, *Non-ionic Surfactant, *Eucalyptus Oil, pH Adjuster, Non-ionic Polymer (biodegradable), *Chelating Agent, Stabilizer
*Plant-based ingredients
🔴 Earthwise Sensitive Clean Laundry Liquid
Water, Sodium Sulphate, Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate, Glycerine, Coco Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Citrate, Protease, Amylase, Pectate Lyase, Mannanase, Lipase, Sodium Silicate, Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol/BIT mixture (preservative)
🔴 Lucent Globe Laundry Detergent Sheets – Ocean Breeze
Deal-breakers: Fragrance
Other flags: Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate, Polyvinyl Alcohol
Ingredient transparency: Good. Individual ingredients are clearly listed on the website, although confirmation that the manufacturer uses fragrance blends containing synthetic components was found separately in the FAQs.
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Starch, Glycerin, Glyceryl Cocoate, Trisodium Citrate, Saponins, Fragrance, Protease
🔴 Undo This Mess Gold Standard Laundry Liquid
Deal-breakers: Benzisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance
Other flags: Laureth-8, Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Ingredient transparency: Partial. Individual ingredients are clearly listed on the website, but the packaging only provides broad ingredient categories, making it difficult to assess the formulation without visiting the website.
Water, Laureth-8, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coco-Glucoside, Potassium Oleate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Carbonate, Deoxyribonuclease, Subtilisin, Lipase, Alpha-Amylase, Mannanase, Ethanol, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Trisodium Dicarboxymethyl Alaninate, Sodium Polyaspartate, Benzisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
Found on manufacturer’s website
🔴 Purity Sensitive Laundry Liquid
Deal-breakers: Benzisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance
Other flags: Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Ingredient transparency: Partial. Individual ingredients are clearly listed on the website, but the packaging only provides broad ingredient categories, making it difficult to assess the formulation without visiting the website. Confirmation that the manufacturer uses fragrance blends containing synthetic components was found separately in the FAQs.
Water, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Citrate, Potassium Oleate, Alcohol Denat., Trisodium Dicarboxymethyl Alaninate, Sodium Polyaspartate, Fragrance, Benzisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
Found on manufacturer’s website
🔴 Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Laundry Powder
Deal-breakers: Fragrance
Other flags: None
Ingredient transparency: Partial. Individual ingredients are clearly listed on the website, but the packaging only provides broad ingredient categories, making it difficult to assess the formulation without visiting the website. Confirmation that the manufacturer uses fragrance blends containing synthetic components was found separately in the FAQs.
Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Sulfate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Zeolite, Sodium Methyl Ester Sulfonate, Bentonite, Oleic Acid (Sodium Oleate), Cellulose Gum (Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose), Fragrance
Found on manufacturer’s website
🔴 Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Laundry Liquid
Deal-breakers: Benzisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance
Other flags: Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Laureth-8
Ingredient transparency: Partial. Individual ingredients are clearly listed on the website, but the packaging only provides broad ingredient categories, making it difficult to assess the formulation without visiting the website. Confirmation that the manufacturer uses fragrance blends containing synthetic components was found separately in the FAQs.
Water (Purified), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coco-Glucoside, Potassium Oleate, Laureth-8, Sodium Citrate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Carbonate, Fragrance, Trisodium Dicarboxymethyl Alaninate, Sodium Polyaspartate, Benzisothiazolinone, Subtilisin (Protease), alpha-Amylase, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
Found on manufacturer’s website