Ingredients Deep Dive: Laundry

Written By Catherine Lockhart

STOP PUTTING SCENT BOOSTERS AND CASHMERE VANILLA MIST DETERGENT AND ALL THAT SHIT IN YOUR LAUNDRY. It is literally all so toxic. These ingredients can affect your health, especially by disrupting hormones, contributing to cancer risks, and triggering skin irritation.

I also want to note that I feel like there’s a ton of “greenwashing” in the laundry detergent space. There are a ton of new brands with cute packaging that makes you feel like they are better for you when really they aren’t. If it smells like perfume and the word “fragrance” is on the bottle, run. Diva, Dirty Labs, the Laundress, Luxury Laundry Pods, Laundry Sauce, Mozi, DedCool Laundry, etc. - DON’T BUY THESE.

Now let’s dive into what’s lurking in your laundry room, how these toxins impact your well-being, and what nontoxic alternatives you can use instead.

1. Laundry Detergent

Toxic Ingredients to Watch Out For:

  • Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): Skin irritants that strip natural oils, potentially causing rashes.

  • Fragrance / Parfum: Synthetic fragrances contain phthalates, known endocrine disruptors, which interfere with hormone regulation.

  • Optical Brighteners: These chemicals (like stilbene derivatives) make clothes look whiter but can trigger allergies and irritate skin.

  • 1,4-Dioxane: A carcinogen formed during the manufacturing process, often found in detergents but not listed on labels.

Nontoxic Picks:

  • Branch Basics just came out with powdered laundry detergent and I LOVE IT. It honestly may be my top pick - it is unscented and has sodium percarbonate in it, so it cleans and deodorizes EXTRA well without bleaching your clothing. The link should get you 15% off or code CATHERINE15

  • Zum laundry detergent is for the girlies that love a scent still. They use all essential oils and it really does stay on your clothing. My favorite is the Sea Salt, but I’m very interested in trying the Amber scent.

  • Zuma is extremely concentrated and cleans well. If you don’t have a lot of space and like just squeezing a little into the machine, this is for you.

  • If you are acne prone or think your laundry detergent might be breaking you out (think pillowcase / face towels) the Truly Free and Branch Basics detergents are acne safe!

2. Chlorine Bleach

Toxic Ingredients to Watch Out For:

  • Sodium Hypochlorite: A respiratory irritant that can release toxic fumes, especially when mixed with ammonia or acidic cleaners.

  • Chlorine Gas: Exposure to fumes can cause respiratory issues and eye irritation. Long-term exposure has been linked to asthma.

Nontoxic Picks:

3. Scent Boosters

Toxic Ingredients to Watch Out For:

  • Fragrance / Parfum: Contains phthalates and synthetic musks, both of which are known endocrine disruptors. Phthalates have been linked to reproductive harm.

  • Benzyl Alcohol and Limonene: Common fragrance chemicals that can trigger allergies and asthma symptoms.

  • Acetaldehyde: Classified as a carcinogen that can impair lung function over time.

My Take: Let’s be so fr - scent boosters are not necessary and are fucking horrible for you. I really don’t have a swap for this. Spray some nontoxic perfume like Esas NYC on your clothing after or something. If I see one more aesthetic video of someone refilling all their plastic containers with bottles of Tide scent boosters I’m gonna lose it…ok? ok.

4. Dryer Sheets

Toxic Ingredients to Watch Out For:

  • Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (Quats): Found in fabric softeners and dryer sheets, Quats are linked to asthma and respiratory irritation.

  • Fragrance / Parfum: Again, the use of synthetic fragrances introduces endocrine disruptors and allergens.

  • Benzyl Acetate: Known to cause respiratory distress and dizziness, and has been linked to pancreatic cancer.

Nontoxic Picks:

Catherine Lockhart
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