Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
Learn more about our product testing
Persil ProClean Sensitive Skin contains many possible irritants like borax, but it is a superior stain remover. Read More
Up & Up is Target's store brand. Its Clear & Gentle detergent provided a solid clean. Read More
Seventh Generation Free & Clear detergent packs above-average staining fighting power, and the company seems to actually care about the environment. Read More
A perfume- and dye-free detergent that tied for third in our cleaning tests. In spite of a strong medicinal scent in the bottle, it left virtually no scent behind, as promised. Read More
Charlie's Soap Laundry Liquid is very eco-friendly and hypoallergenic. However, it lags behind in cleaning prowess. Read More
Our labs have tested the best laundry detergents for people with sensitive skin, looking for how easily each detergent removes stains, as well as comparing any known irritants.
While we researched what makes each detergent hypoallergenic, for the purpose of these tests, we trusted claims and clinical trials, which are better suited to investigate more in depth.
After weeks of doing laundry, Persil ProClean Sensitive Skin (available at Amazon) rocketed to the top of our rankings for the best laundry detergents for sensitive skin thanks to the superior stain removal performance. However, there are many great laundry detergents for sensitive skin in our guide.
Persil ProClean Sensitive Skin removed the most stains.
It might have come in third for raw cleaning power, but it came in first for value.
Seventh Generation is 97% plant based, for a more eco-friendly approach.
All Free Clear maintained a balance between cleaning and being hypoallergenic.
Sensitive to skin irritants? Charlie's Soap is hypoallergenic and built for reprieve from skin allergies.
I’m Jon Chan, the senior lab technician at Reviewed. It’s my job to test and write about products ranging from coolers to laundry detergents. When it came to testing detergents for sensitive skin, I wanted a product that balanced non-irritating ingredients and stain removal performance.
We tested all the detergents in the Maytag MVWC565FW, a high-efficiency washing machine, on the Normal cycle with warm (not hot) water. To ensure that our test results were consistent, we used mechanically dyed swatches that are covered in common household substances like sweat, oil, pig’s blood, red wine, and cocoa.
All stains are carefully sourced—for example, all the red wine is made in the same vineyard and all the blood comes from the same breed of pig.
Step One: We placed our stain swatches into standardized loads of laundry. Each load contained eight pounds of pillowcases, towels, and bed sheets. We made sure our test laundry was free from fabric softeners as those chemicals change the way fabric interacts with water.
Step Two: We repeated this process with swatches set in designated places inside of the washing machine. For example, the first towel goes on the left side of the agitator followed by a bedsheet on the right.
Step Three: After we ran the Normal cycle, we let each strip dry overnight before analyzing them with a photospectrometer—a device designed to detect changes in color. This allowed us to assign an empirical number to how much of each stain the detergent lifted.
Step Four: Finally, we compared the ingredients of all the detergents we tested using the Environmental Working Group database. We felt that EWG has a proven track record of collating information about a comprehensive list of chemicals.
The term “free-and-clear” has no legal standard, but there are some differences between those detergents and others.
The first thing you’ll probably notice is the color. Most free-and-clear detergents are milky white rather than the usual blue. In regular detergents, the blue color comes from dyes used to help fight yellowing in clothing.
Another major difference is smell: Most detergents we tested had a rubbing alcohol smell because, in many cases, ethanol was used as a cleaning agent.
By law, manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients in their fragrances, so it can be difficult to know if you’re allergic to certain products. Even products labeled “unscented” can contain fragrances, and both natural and artificial fragrances have the potential to irritate your skin.
However, companies like P&G have vowed to be more transparent with what goes into making the scents of its products.
If you’re worried about fragrances, look for products that have the EPA’s Safe Choice seal.
All the products we tested for this roundup have phrases like “free-and-clear'' and “hypoallergenic.” On the surface, hypoallergenic translates to products low in allergy-causing compounds.
However, according to the FDA, these terms have no legal meaning.
A study done at Northwest University showed that out of the 100 top-selling moisturizers labeled “hypoallergenic,” 83% contained potential allergens. If you have allergies or a skin condition, this is not ideal for your skin care routine!
While this isn’t exactly the same as detergents, our research into various ingredients of the detergents in our roundup yielded similar results.
“Free-and-clear” typically refers to detergent that is fragrance free, contains no dyes or perfumes, which can cause irritation. It also usually means that the detergent lacks any optical brighteners.
We frown on the addition of optical brighteners because they use an actual trick of the light to make clothes look cleaner without removing any stains.
By cutting down the ingredient list to avoid irritating chemicals, laundry detergents for sensitive skin reduce the number of harmful chemicals they contain.
Even if a laundry detergent is designed to be good for your skin or the environment, that doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful if used improperly. Almost all detergents have warnings against swallowing them or getting them in your eyes. This is because almost all chemicals are harmful if used in the wrong way.
If you want a non-toxic laundry detergent, sensitive skin or eco-friendly brands are a good option. The ingredients are chosen to minimize risks to you and the environment.
You should consult a pediatrician about what products are and are not suitable for your child. However, our experiments with brands that tout themselves as safe for young children have fewer ingredients than average.
For example, Molly’s Suds has only five ingredients and is mostly made of baking soda and washing soda—a substance that makes grease and dirt more likely dissolve into water.
Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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