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Finding household cleaning products with the environmental footprint that is important to you can be tricky. Not to mention, deciphering the potential health and environmental impacts of each ingredient is a daunting task that most of us do not have the time to do. We’ve got you covered. We’ve done the deciphering for you. Our quality standards experts meet regularly to evaluate and review product ingredients to ensure that we are offering, what we think are, the cleanest and most ecologically thoughtful household cleaning products available. Our Household Cleaning Product Standards set the bar high because the potential health and environmental impacts of the products you use to keep your home and clothes clean shouldn’t keep you up at night.
As new research becomes available, an ingredient that might not have been considered problematic may now be an ingredient of concern or unacceptable. Read more about grandmothered and limited ingredients.
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Quaternary ammonium compounds” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
[i] European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Available on line: https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13641/dbp_echa_review_report_201…
[ii] European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Available online: https://echa.europa.eu/substance-information/-/substanceinfo/100.003.829
[iii] Phthalates. Campaign for safe cosmetics. Retrieved February 17, 2021 from https://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/phthal…
[iv] Taylor, K. M., Weisskopf, M., Shine, J. (2014). Human exposure to nitro musks and the evaluation of their potential toxicity: an overview. Environ Health. 13, 14. doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-13-14
[v] Engel, S. M., Miodovnik, A., Canfield, R. L., Zhu, C., Silva, M. J., Calafat, A. M., & Wolff, M. S. (2010). Prenatal phthalate exposure is associated with childhood behavior and executive functioning. Environmental health perspectives, 118(4), 565–571. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.0901470
[vi] Taylor, K. M., Weisskopf, M., Shine, J. (2014). Human exposure to nitro musks and the evaluation of their potential toxicity: an overview. Environ Health. 13, 14. doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-13-14
[vii] Synthetic musks. Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Retrieved February 17, 2021 from https://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/synthe…
Please see “Quaternary ammonium compounds” for more information.
Please see “Quaternary ammonium compounds” for more information.
Please see “Formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Quaternary ammonium compounds” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Quaternary ammonium compounds” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Quaternary ammonium compounds” for more information.
Please see “Formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors” for more information.
[i] Siracusa, A., De Blay, F., Folletti, I., Moscato, G., Olivieri, M., Quirce, S., Raulf-Heimsoth, M., Sastre, J., Tarlo, S. M., Walusiak-Skorupa, J., & Zock, J.-P. . (2013). Asthma and exposure to cleaning products - a European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology task force consensus statement. Allergy, 68(12), 1532–1545. https://doi.org/10.1111/all.12279
[i] Doherty, A.-C., Lee, C.-S., Meng, Q., Sakano, Y., Noble, A. E., Grant, K. A., Esposito, A., Gobler, C. J., & Venkatesan, A. K. (2023). Contribution of household and personal care products to 1,4-dioxane contamination of drinking water. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 31, 100414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2022.100414
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
[i] International Agency for Research on Cancer (June 2004). IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans Volume 88 (2006): Formaldehyde, 2-Butoxyethanol and 1-tert-Butoxypropan-2-ol. Retrieved June 10, 2011, from: http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/index.php
[ii] National Toxicology Report. (2016, November 3). 14th report on carcinogens. US Department of Health and Human services. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/assessments/cancer/roc/index.html
[iii] International Agency for Research on Cancer (June 2004). IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans Volume 88 (2006): Formaldehyde, 2-Butoxyethanol and 1-tert-Butoxypropan-2-ol. Retrieved June 10, 2011, from: http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/index.php
[iv] Boyvat, A., Akyol, A., & Gürgey, E. (2005). Contact sensitivity to preservatives in Turkey. Contact dermatitis, 52(6), 329–332. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0105-1873.2005.00607.x
[v] Pratt, M. D., Belsito, D. V., DeLeo, V. A., Fowler, J. F., Jr, Fransway, A. F., Maibach, H. I., Marks, J. G., Mathias, C. G., Rietschel, R. L., Sasseville, D., Sherertz, E. F., Storrs, F. J., Taylor, J. S., & Zug, K. (2004). North American Contact Dermatitis Group patch-test results, 2001-2002 study period. Dermatitis : contact, atopic, occupational, drug, 15(4), 176–183.
[vi] de Groot, A. C., White, I. R., Flyvholm, M. A., Lensen, G., & Coenraads, P. J. (2010). Formaldehyde-releasers in cosmetics: relationship to formaldehyde contact allergy. Part 1. Characterization, frequency and relevance of sensitization, and frequency of use in cosmetics. Contact dermatitis, 62(1), 2–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0536.2009.01615.x
[i] European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals. (2005). The Toxicology of Glycol Ethers and its Relevance to Man. In ECETOC TR No. 95: Vol. Volume I (Fourth Edition). https://www.ecetoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ECETOC-TR-095-Vol-I.p…
[ii] 2-Butoxyethanol and 2-Butoxyethanol acetate | ToxFAQsTM | ATSDR. (n.d.). https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsDetails.aspx?faqid=346&toxid=61
[iii] EPA. (n.d.). Glycol ethers. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/glycol-ethers…
[iv] Lyttleton, J. (2013). Treatment of Infertility with Chinese Medicine. Churchill Livingstone. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/C2009-0-54723-X
[v] Warembourg, C., Botton, J., Lelong, N., Rouget, F., Khoshnood, B., Gléau, F. L., Monfort, C., Labat, L., Pierre, F., Heude, B., Slama, R., Multigner, L., Charles, M., Cordier, S., & Garlantézec, R. (2017). Prenatal exposure to glycol ethers and cryptorchidism and hypospadias: a nested case–control study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 75(1), 59–65. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2017-104391
Please see “Formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Quaternary ammonium compounds” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
[i] n.a. Analysis finds hormone disruptor used in cosmetics in nearly 50 different foods. Environmental Working Group. April 8, 2015. https://www.ewg.org/release/analysis-finds-hormone-disruptor-used-cosme…
[ii] Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants. 67th report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43592/WHO_TRS_940_eng.p…
[iii] Nishihama, Y., Yoshinaga, J., Iida, A., Konishi, S., Imai, H., Yoneyama, M., Nakajima, D., & Shiraishi, H. (2016). Association between paraben exposure and menstrual cycle in female university students in Japan. Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.), 63, 107–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.05.010
[iv] Smith, K.W., Souter, I., Dimitriadis, I., Ehrlich, S., Williams, P.L., Calafat, A.M., Hauser, R. (2013 Nov-Dec). Urinary paraben concentrations and ovarian aging among women from a fertility center. Environ Health Perspect, 121(11-12), 1299-1305. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1205350
[v] Amin, M. M., Tabatabaeian, M., Chavoshani, A., Amjadi, E., Hashemi, M., Ebrahimpour, K., Klishadi, R., Khazaei, S., & Mansourian, M. (2019). Paraben Content in Adjacent Normal-malignant Breast Tissues from Women with Breast Cancer. Biomedical and environmental sciences : BES, 32(12), 893–904. https://doi.org/10.3967/bes2019.112
[vi] Stoiber, T. (2019, Apr 9). What are parabens, and why don’t they belong in cosmetics? Environmental Working Group. Retrieved from: https://www.ewg.org/what-are-parabens
[vii] Haman, C., Dauchy, X., Rosin, C., & Munoz, J. F. (2015). Occurrence, fate and behavior of parabens in aquatic environments: a review. Water research, 68, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.09.030
[viii]Nowak, K., Ratajczak-Wrona, W., Górska, M., & Jabłońska, E. (2018). Parabens and their effects on the endocrine system. Molecular and cellular endocrinology, 474, 238–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2018.03.014
[ix] Canosa, P., Rodríguez, I., Rubi, E., Negreira, N., Cela, R. (2006 Aug 4). Formation of halogenated by-products of parabens in chlorinated water. Analytica Chimica Acta, 575, 1, 106-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2006.05.068
[x] Haman, C., Dauchy, X., Rosin, C., & Munoz, J. F. (2015). Occurrence, fate and behavior of parabens in aquatic environments: a review. Water research, 68, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.09.030
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
[i] Richards, S., Paterson, E., Wither, P.J.A., & Stutter, M. (2015). The contribute of household chemicals to environmental dischardes via effluents: combining chemical and behavioural data. Journal of Environmental Management, 150, 427-434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.12.023
[ii] The problem | US EPA. (2024, November 15). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/problem
[iii] Chislock, M.F., Doster, E., Zitomer, R.A. & Wilson, A.E. (2013). Eutrophication: causes, consequences, and control. Nature Education KnowledgeI, 4(4): 10. https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/eutrophication-causes…
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
[i] http://endocrinedisruption.org/
[ii] European Commission. List of 146 substances with endocrine disruption classifications prepared in the expert meeting. Available online: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/archives/docum/pdf/bkh_annex_13.pdf Aug… 13, 2014.
[iii] Candidate list of substances of very high concern for authorisation. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2021, from https://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/candidate-list-table
[iv] Radke, E.G., Braun, J.M., Meeker, J.D., Cooper, G.S. (2018). Phthalate exposure and male reproductive outcomes: a systematic review of the human epidemiological evidence. Environment International, 121(1), 764-793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.07.029
[v] Feldscher, K. (2016, November 8). Exposure to phthalates may raise risk of pregnancy loss, gestational diabetes. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/phthalates-exposure-pregnanc….
[vi] Watkins, D. J., Téllez-Rojo, M. M., Ferguson, K. K., Lee, J. M., Solano-Gonzalez, M., Blank-Goldenberg, C., Peterson, K. E., & Meeker, J. D. (2014). In utero and peripubertal exposure to phthalates and BPA in relation to female sexual maturation. Environmental research, 134, 233–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2014.08.010
[vii] Wineland, R. J., Bloom, M. S., Cruze, L., Butts, C. D., Wenzel, A. G., Unal, E. R., Kohno, S., Willan, K. B., Brock, J. W., & Newman, R. B. (2019). In utero effects of maternal phthalate exposure on male genital development. Prenatal diagnosis, 39(3), 209–218. https://doi.org/10.1002/pd.5398
[viii] Singh, S., & Li, S. S. (2012). Epigenetic effects of environmental chemicals bisphenol A and phthalates. International journal of molecular sciences, 13(8), 10143–10153. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms130810143
Please see “Phthalates” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
[i] Arnold, W. A., Blum, A., Branyan, J., Bruton, T. A., Carignan, C. C., Cortopassi, G., Datta, S., DeWitt, J., Doherty, A. C., Halden, R. U., Harari, H., Hartmann, E. M., Hrubec, T. C., Iyer, S., Kwiatkowski, C. F., LaPier, J., Li, D., Li, L., Muñiz Ortiz, J. G., Salamova, A., … Zheng, G. (2023). Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: A Chemical Class of Emerging Concern. Environmental science & technology, 57(20), 7645–7665. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c08244
[ii] Toxics Use Reduction Institute. (2024, March 25). Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Fact Sheet - TURI. TURI. https://www.turi.org/quaternary-ammonium-compounds-fact-sheet/#
[iii] Migueres, N., Debaille, C., Walusiak-Skorupa, J., Lipińska-Ojrzanowska, A., Munoz, X., van Kampen, V., Suojalehto, H., Suuronen, K., Seed, M., Lee, S., Rifflart, C., Godet, J., de Blay, F., Vandenplas, O., & European Network for the Phenotyping of Occupational Asthma (E-PHOCAS) (2021). Occupational Asthma Caused by Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: A Multicenter Cohort Study. The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice, 9(9), 3387–3395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2021.04.041
[iv] Gonzalez, M., Jégu, J., Kopferschmitt, M. C., Donnay, C., Hedelin, G., Matzinger, F., Velten, M., Guilloux, L., Cantineau, A., & de Blay, F. (2014). Asthma among workers in healthcare settings: role of disinfection with quaternary ammonium compounds. Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 44(3), 393–406. https://doi.org/10.1111/cea.12215
[v] Toxics Use Reduction Institute. (2024, March 25). Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Fact Sheet - TURI. TURI. https://www.turi.org/quaternary-ammonium-compounds-fact-sheet/#
[vi] Camagay AV, Kendall N, & Connolly MK. Quaternary Ammonium Compound Toxicity. [Updated 2023 Jul 15]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594254/
[vii] Melin, V.E., Potineni, H., Hunt, P., Griswold, J., Siems, B., Were, S.R., & Hrubec, T.C. (2014). Exposure to common quaternary ammonium disinfectants decreases fertility in mice. Reproductive toxicology, 50, 163-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2014.07.071
[viii] Hrubec, T.C., Seguin, R.P., Xu, L., Cortopassi, G.A., Datta, S., Hanlon, A.L., Lozano, A.J., McDonald, V.A., Healy, C.A., Anderson, T.C., Musse, N.A., & Williams, R.T. (2021). Altered toxicological endpoints in humans from common quaternary ammonium compound disinfectant exposure. Toxicology Reports, 8, 646-656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2021.03.006
Please see “Formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors” for more information.
Please see "Quarternary ammonium compounds" for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
[i] Food Dyes - Center for Science in the Public Interest. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://cspinet.org/sites/default/files/attachment/food-dyes-rainbow-of…
[ii] Food Dyes - Center for Science in the Public Interest. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://cspinet.org/sites/default/files/attachment/food-dyes-rainbow-of…
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Synthetic colors” for more information.
Please see “Ethanolamines” for more information.
Please see “Glycol ethers” for more information.
Please see “Phosphates” for more information.
Please see “Parabens” for more information.
*We work hard to keep the information on our “Things We Won’t Carry and Why” lists accurate and up to date. However, there are times where an ingredient on these lists may appear in one of our products. As an example, manufacturers may reformulate their products, leading to changes in ingredient lists that could temporarily allow an excluded ingredient to appear in products on our shelves. We constantly work with our suppliers to monitor product ingredients changes and make every effort to promptly identify and address affected products that don’t meet our standards.
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