Mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergent is generally safe for everyday use, but it contains a few ingredients that deserve a closer look, especially if you have sensitive skin or are washing baby clothes. The Environmental Working Group gives some Mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergent formulas a “D” safety rating, which is lower than many people expect from a brand marketed as natural and plant-based.
What’s Actually in It
Mrs. Meyer’s labels its ingredients broadly, listing things like “plant-derived surfactants” and “preservative” without specifying exactly what those are. When you dig into the full ingredient breakdown, the picture gets more detailed. The primary cleaning agent is sodium laureth sulfate, a common surfactant derived from coconut oil. The formula also includes enzymes (protease, amylase, lipase, and others) that break down protein, starch, and fat-based stains. These are standard in modern detergents and not a safety concern for most people.
The ingredients that raise flags are the preservatives: methylisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone. These show up in both the scented and scent-free versions. The formula also contains borax (sodium borate), propylene glycol, and SD alcohol 40B. Rounding out the list are gentler components like coconut fatty acid, glycerin, sorbitol, sodium citrate, and cotton extract.
The Preservatives Are the Main Concern
Methylisothiazolinone (MI) is the ingredient that pulls Mrs. Meyer’s EWG score down the most. It’s flagged as a high concern for aquatic toxicity and a known cause of contact dermatitis. In fact, MI became such a widespread trigger for allergic skin reactions that the European Union restricted its use in leave-on skin products back in 2016. In a laundry detergent, your skin exposure is indirect since the chemical rinses out during the wash cycle. But trace amounts can remain on fabric, and for people who are already sensitized to MI, even small residues can cause itching, redness, or rashes.
Benzisothiazolinone, the other preservative, carries similar but slightly milder concerns. EWG flags it for skin irritation, aquatic toxicity, and potential developmental or endocrine effects, though the evidence for those last concerns is less definitive than for the skin reactions.
Fragrance and Sensitive Skin
Most Mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergents come in scented versions like Lavender, Geranium, and Rain Water. The brand uses essential oils for fragrance, which sounds harmless but isn’t always. Essential oils contain naturally occurring compounds like limonene and linalool that are among the most common fragrance allergens in dermatology. If you’ve ever reacted to scented products, essential oil-based fragrances can trigger the same problems as synthetic ones.
Mrs. Meyer’s does offer a scent-free version. It still contains the same preservatives, though, so going fragrance-free helps but doesn’t eliminate every potential irritant.
Is It Safe for Baby Clothes?
Mrs. Meyer’s sells a “Baby Blossom” scented laundry detergent, but the formula isn’t meaningfully different from their other varieties. It still contains methylisothiazolinone, benzisothiazolinone, and fragrance. The product label warns that it’s an eye irritant and should be kept away from children and pets, which is standard for detergents but worth noting.
There are no pediatric-specific safety claims on the product, and the EWG doesn’t give it a better score than the adult versions. If you’re looking for a detergent specifically for a newborn or a child with eczema, products formulated without isothiazolinone preservatives and fragrance are a safer bet.
No EPA Safer Choice Certification
Despite its green branding, Mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergent does not carry the EPA’s Safer Choice label. That certification means every ingredient in a product has been reviewed by the EPA and meets specific safety thresholds for human health and the environment. Many competing “green” detergents do hold this certification. The brand is, however, Leaping Bunny certified (since 2011), confirming it is not tested on animals and contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Septic Systems and the Environment
On the plumbing side, Mrs. Meyer’s performs well. Its plant-based surfactants and citrus or vegetable-derived cleaning agents won’t disrupt the bacterial balance in a septic system the way harsh chemical cleaners can. The formula is biodegradable and phosphate-free. The environmental trade-off is the aquatic toxicity of those isothiazolinone preservatives, which is the main reason the EWG flags them. Once they go down the drain, they can be harmful to aquatic organisms even in small concentrations.
How It Compares to Conventional Detergents
Mrs. Meyer’s sits in an awkward middle ground. It’s genuinely better than many conventional detergents in terms of plant-derived surfactants, biodegradability, and the absence of optical brighteners, chlorine, and artificial colors. But the presence of methylisothiazolinone puts it behind brands that have phased out isothiazolinone preservatives entirely. A “D” from EWG is actually lower than some mainstream brands score.
If you currently use Mrs. Meyer’s without any skin reactions or sensitivities, the risk during normal use is low. The preservatives rinse out during the wash cycle, and most people tolerate the residual amounts on fabric without issues. The people who should consider switching are those with a history of contact dermatitis, eczema, or fragrance sensitivities, and parents washing clothes for infants with reactive skin. For those situations, look for detergents that carry the EPA Safer Choice label and skip isothiazolinone preservatives altogether.