Best hypoallergenic laundry detergent

How we chose

We work from documents; we have not tested any of these products ourselves. For this page, a hypoallergenic laundry detergent is one where the maker’s own page uses “hypoallergenic” and publishes an ingredient list we could read. That is a statement about what the maker says, not about outcomes. Our guide on what hypoallergenic means covers the word in more depth.

Three products met the bar: a maker claim, a maker list, and an Amazon listing or maker link we could verify. Two others did not and are named under unknowns. For the wider routine around detergent, see a hypoallergenic laundry routine, dryer sheets and fabric softener.

What to look for on the label

• The claim and the list can differ. “Free of perfumes” and “hypoallergenic” are statements; the list is the evidence. Compare them.
• Preservatives. Phenoxyethanol appears in both ECOS lists; methylisothiazolinone appears in one.
• Enzymes. Stain-removing enzymes (protease, subtilisin, amylase, mannanase) are listed in two of the three.
• Format. Sheets and liquids have different lists; the sheets use a polymer film (polyvinyl alcohol) as the carrier.

What to check on a laundry detergent label

This is our method, set out in our review criteria for laundry products; it is not a regulator’s test.

1. Match the exact size and format. Read the full list for the exact product, size and format you would buy. A page can show several variants (the ECOS sheets page also sells scented sheets), and a retailer listing can be a different size from the maker’s (that is the case for two of the three here).
2. Look for a fragrance entry. We count any fragrance, parfum, aroma or essential-oil entry. On a SmartLabel-style page, a “Fragrance Ingredient” heading with no entries under it is read as an empty heading, not an ingredient; where entries sit under it, they count.
3. Check the fragrance-allergen names. Our watch list is our own working list of common contact-allergen names (for example linalool, limonene, citronellol, geraniol, coumarin, eugenol). None of those names appears in the three lists we read.
4. Check preservatives. Our preservative watch list covers methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers. Methylisothiazolinone is in the ECOS liquid list only.
5. Note dyes, brighteners and enzymes. We report these when listed; under our criteria they are not disqualifiers unless they appear on a watch list.
6. Treat “hypoallergenic” as a claim. We quote it as the maker’s wording. The list is the evidence.

A list that passes shows only that none of those names appears on the maker’s list as retrieved on the stated date.

ECOS Laundry Detergent Sheets – Free & Clear

Per the maker’s ingredient disclosure, read by our fetch on 2026-11-14, the list has 15 entries: water, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium lauryl sulfate, kaolin, caprylyl/capryl glucoside, silica, cocamidopropyl betaine, glycerin, sodium citrate, cocamidopropylamine oxide, phenoxyethanol, dimethicone, saponins, citric acid and a protease enzyme blend. There is no fragrance entry and no isothiazolinone preservative.

The maker’s page reads: “Hypoallergenic Good for those with sensitive skin”, and states the sheets are tested to verify they are unlikely to irritate skin allergies. Those are the maker’s claims; the page does not say what the testing was. The page shows 50, 57, 64 and 100 count sizes. It also sells scented sheets, and we did not toggle the scent selector, so the list is the one shown for the Free & Clear variant on the page. No Amazon listing found; link goes to the maker’s site (not an affiliate link).

ECOS Laundry Detergent Sheets – Free & Clear

ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent – Free & Clear

Per the maker’s list, read by our fetch on 2026-11-11, there are six entries: water, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium coco-sulfate, cocamidopropylamine oxide, phenoxyethanol and methylisothiazolinone. It is the shortest list here.

The maker’s page claims “plant-powered cleaning without added dyes or fragrances” and describes the product as hypoallergenic and unlikely to irritate skin allergies. Our record flags a contrast: methylisothiazolinone, a preservative that is a known contact allergen, is listed beside that claim. We take no position on whether it matters for you; it is exactly the kind of entry someone with a known sensitivity would want to check. The maker page shows 50, 100, 170 and 210 oz; the Amazon listing is a different size (80 load), so we make no size claim for the listing.

ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent – Free & Clear

Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent

This list was captured from the maker’s SmartLabel page in a browser on 2026-11-13, because our automated fetch was blocked; it is BROWSER-CAPTURED, not fetch-verified. It shows 14 entries: water, C10-16 pareth, sodium C10-16 alkylbenzenesulfonate, sodium salts of C12-18 fatty acids, propylene glycol, alkoxylated polyethyleneimines, sodium citrate, sodium borate, sodium cumenesulfonate, C10-16 alkyldimethylamine oxide, subtilisin, sodium formate, amylase and mannanase. The page also shows a “Fragrance Ingredient” heading with no entries under it (the value reads “undefined”); we read that as an empty heading, not a listed ingredient, which two separate captures agree on.

The maker’s wording reads: “Free of dyes and perfumes Hypoallergenic”. The list has no fragrance entry, which agrees with the maker’s “free of perfumes” line. Some entries carry a “DL” marker, which SmartLabel uses for California Right to Know designated-list ingredients. The maker size is 25 loads, 32 fl oz; the Amazon listing is 64 load, so we make no size claim for it. See also is Tide hypoallergenic?.

Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent

What the sources say

We found no equivalent source for laundry products. The FDA pages below concern cosmetics; we quote them for the label-claim background only, and they do not set rules for detergent.

• On “hypoallergenic”, the FDA’s cosmetics page says: “There are no Federal standards or definitions that govern the use of the term ‘hypoallergenic.’ The term means whatever a particular company wants it to mean.” It adds that manufacturers of such cosmetics “are not required to submit substantiation of their hypoallergenicity claims to FDA” and that “dermatologists say it has very little meaning.” (FDA, “Hypoallergenic” Cosmetics, retrieved 2026-11-13.)
• On claims more generally, the FDA states that cosmetic labeling “must be truthful and not misleading” and that it “does not have a list of approved or accepted claims for cosmetics.” (FDA, Cosmetics Labeling Claims, retrieved 2026-11-11.)
• On “unscented”, the FDA says: “Even some products labeled ‘unscented’ may contain fragrance ingredients,” because a maker “may add just enough fragrance to mask the unpleasant smell of other ingredients.” It also says that under U.S. regulations, for cosmetics, fragrance ingredients “can be listed simply as ‘Fragrance.’” (FDA, Fragrances in Cosmetics, retrieved 2026-11-11.)
• On the preservative in the ECOS liquid list, the sources we hold are about cosmetics. A 2016 EU regulation text records that the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety “concluded that current clinical data indicate that the concentration of 100 ppm of methylisothiazolinone in cosmetic products is not safe for the consumer” (EU Regulation 2016/1198, retrieved 2026-11-14). A 2011 British Journal of Dermatology review reports that “up to 16·5% of household products were preserved with MI” and that sources of exposure included “occupation, cosmetic products or household products” (PubMed 21777214, retrieved 2026-11-14). Neither says anything about the ECOS product, and both are about a rule for cosmetics, so they explain why we flag the entry, not whether it matters for you.

Why some products were left out or flagged

One product carries a flag. It stays on the page, because a flag marks a contrast in the record, not a failed test.

• ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent is flagged because its list includes methylisothiazolinone, an entry on our preservative watch list, beside the maker’s “hypoallergenic” claim.

Two named products were left out because we could not verify them. A re-fetch of the Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear page did not confirm the quote or the list, and a re-fetch of the Charlie’s Soap Natural Powder page did not confirm the quote. They are neither recommended nor rejected. For related household categories, see dryer sheets.

What the label does not tell you

A list shows what is in a formula, not whether it will agree with your skin, and none of this is advice on a skin condition. Lists can change between batches and markets, and none of the three makers explains what its “hypoallergenic” wording rests on. Certifications such as the asthma and allergy friendly programme work from their own criteria; we did not check these products against any directory.