The first quality that we ask of a detergent is that it washes clothes well. But today we also expect this hygiene product to wash without harming our health or the planet. In its latest magazine, 60 million consumers therefore tested 22 “green” detergentsliquid or in doses (as well as two non-green detergents and two homemade detergents) and assessed them not only in terms of cleanliness of the laundry but also according to their impact on health and the environment.
Still too many problematic preservatives
The “Health” score for detergents ranges from A (only one detergent obtains this good rating: the Green Vegetable Soap Tree) to E (see below).
“The health score of liquid detergents is notably worse than that of dose detergents. This is due in particular to the presence of problematic preservatives (thiazolinones), the almost systematic presence of sodium laureth sulphate as a surfactant, the presence of substances suspected of being endocrine disruptors and of substances likely to harm fertility or the fetus,” the magazine points out.
More sensitizing substances in liquid detergents
Liquid detergents also contain more sensitizing substances, in particular the enzymes responsible for “devouring” stains (amylase, protease, lipase, cellulase, pectinase, mannanase). These are “very present, including in products bearing the label of allergists from the Association for Clinical Research in Allergology and Asthmology (ARCAA) or which display the hypoallergenic mention”.
The worst rated detergents for health
- Ariel power Alpine (E-rated)
- Parsley with Marseille soap bouquet de Provence (class E)
- Omo natural essences pink and white lilac (classified E)
- XTra 3 in 1 Marseille soap (class D)
Source :60 million consumers n°583September 2022