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Dreft seems to be the near universal suggestion for baby laundry detergent but it is tested on animals. We try as much as possible to use products that are not animal tested so we are looking for an alternative.

What are good alternatives to Dreft that are not tested on animals?

Thank you.

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    It can be noted that testing on animals is a good idea when you use new untested chemicals, and pointless when you use established ones which already has been tested. :-) As such it is for me a non-issue. But that is a personal choice, of course.
    – Lennart Regebro
    Jun 26 '11 at 9:08
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    To amplify Lennart's comment, many, if not all "Not tested on animals" products are simply slightly different mixtures of standard detergent chemicals, all of which have been tested on animals. Its technically true that this particular product hasn't been tested on animals, but only because all the ingredients have been tested previously.
    – Paul Johnson
    Aug 13 '18 at 17:04
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We use Seventh Generation products and their Natural Baby Laundry Detergent. It is not tested on animals.

There was a consumer who was worried that their products are tested on animals, not by the company, but by a 3rd party (see link). However, Seventh Generation responded by saying that they use existing test data which was received when they licensed their products to another company. They didn't directly contribute or commissioned any of their own tests. (So it's as if the other companies wanted assurance of animal testing, and then provided test results to Seventh Generation for reference.)

You can also use natural laundry detergents from Etsy (just a random one I found). These have the benefit of being simple (no fragrances, additives, etc.) and are not necessarily more expensive to use. The downside, of course, is that if you're out - and didn't order more - you got to go get something else from the store!

You can also make your own laundry detergent. If done in bulk, it's not too much work or difficult. And saves a heck of a lot of money.

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  • +1 for make your own. We followed that very recipe that you linked, and it works wonderfully. Clothes come out as clean as always, and the washer is actually cleaner - the homemade doesn't seem to gunk it up as much.
    – Saiboogu
    Jun 24 '11 at 19:27
  • thanks for the suggestions - we actually use a lot of Seventh Generation products but I didn't know they made Baby Detergent.
    – DQdlM
    Jun 25 '11 at 15:25
  • Please note that 7th Generation does not test on animals, but its parent company, Unilever, does.
    – Jeanne G Nelson
    Oct 13 '21 at 2:49
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    Interesting that people are willing to test washing detergents on their kids, but not on animals.
    – gnasher729
    Oct 17 '21 at 21:52
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As a non-natural product option I would suggest researching regular detergents that are made fragrance free and/or are specifically for people with sensitive skin.

My doctor actually recommended staying away from Dreft and other products specifically made for babies. They have fragrances and chemicals in them that may negatively affect babies skin.

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  • thanks for the suggestion. yeah we try to go fragrance free as much as possible (I honestly don't like the smells anyway).
    – DQdlM
    Jun 29 '11 at 14:40
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I would recommend to look at iHerb online store. It supplies a vast selection of brand name natural products. Especially you can check Baby, Laundry Detergent category. Most of the products there aren't animal tested (this fact is denoted in description of the product).

I don't know where are you from, but I'm personally from Israel and it's also cheaper to buy these natural products at this site (including delivery) than at offline store nearby.

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