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Best fragrance free laundry detergent
Buy Tide Free & Gentle liquid for a fragrance free wash. EPA Safer Choice lists it with the fragrance-free flag, and the maker says it is free of dyes and perfumes.1 We looked up 22 Amazon listings on the EPA list; 7 carry that flag, named below.2
Cheapest per load: ECOS Free & Clear liquid, 2 x 50 fl oz (100 loads), about 12 cents.
Check price on Amazon
Four suspects. One pick.
Tide Free & Gentle liquid, 100 loads (132 fl oz)
Our pickBest for most homes. EPA Safer Choice lists it with the fragrance-free flag, Tide says it is free of dyes and perfumes, and it is the best seller of the group.1
Watch for: The label lists benzisothiazolinone and an ethoxylated surfactant. Prop 65 notices from 2009 and 2011 named Tide liquid detergent for 1,4-dioxane. A notice is a claim, not a finding, and those were older formulas.
ECOS Free & Clear liquid, 2 x 50 fl oz (100 loads)
Lowest cost per load with the EPA flag. EPA Safer Choice flags it fragrance-free and the maker says 'without any unwanted scents'; the label names two preservatives.3
Dirty Labs Free & Clear Bio detergent, 32 loads
Best with no preservative named. EPA Safer Choice fragrance-free, and the label names no preservative or ethoxylated cleaner; it costs the most per load.4
Molly's Suds Original powder, Unscented, 240 loads
Best powder (no EPA listing). The maker says the Unscented bag has no essential oils or fragrances, but we found no EPA listing to back it.5
Every detergent we checked for fragrance
The table puts the EPA fragrance-free flag next to what the label says, which an Amazon title like "free and clear" does not show.
| Product | Fragrance on the label | EPA Safer Choice | NEA list | Preservative | Size | Cost per load | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tide Free & Gentle liquid, 100 loads (132 fl oz)1 | Fragrance free | Safer Choice, fragrance-free | On NEA list | Benzisothiazolinone | 100 loads | $0.18 per loadas listed | $17.97 |
| ECOS Free & Clear liquid, 2 x 50 fl oz (100 loads)3 | Fragrance free | Safer Choice, fragrance-free | On NEA list | Methylisothiazolinone | 100 loads | $0.12 per loadas listed | $11.99 |
| Dirty Labs Free & Clear Bio detergent, 32 loads4 | Fragrance free | Safer Choice, fragrance-free | On NEA list | None named | 32 loads | $0.62 per loadas listed | $20.00 |
| Molly's Suds Original powder, Unscented, 240 loads5 | Fragrance free | No listing found | On NEA list | None listed | 240 loads | $0.16 per loadas listed | $38.99 |
 Seventh Generation Free & Clear liquid, 53 loads (40 fl oz)6 | Fragrance free | Safer Choice, fragrance-free | Not on NEA list | Benzisothiazolinone | 53 loads | $0.28 per loadas listed | $14.99 |
 all free clear liquid, 110 loads (82.5 fl oz)7 | Fragrance free | No listing found | On NEA list | Benzisothiazolinone | 110 loads | $0.17 per loadas listed | $18.68 |
 The Clean People Fragrance Free sheets, 32 sheets8 | Fragrance free | No listing found | Not on NEA list | Potassium sorbate | 32 sheets | $0.40 per loadmaker's dose | $12.79 |
 Molly's Suds Original powder, Lotus & Peony, 120 loads9 | Lists fragrance | No listing found | On NEA list | None listed | 120 loads | $0.19 per loadas listed | $22.99 |
 ATTITUDE Mountain Fresh liquid, 40 loads (67.6 fl oz)10 | Lists fragrance | No listing found | Not on NEA list | Sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate | 40 loads | $0.42 per loadmaker's dose | $16.84 |
Prices on Amazon, November 2, 2026.11
Listings that look fragrance free but are not
Molly's Suds Original powder, Lotus & Peony, 120 loads
This bag is the Lotus & Peony scent. The maker says scented bags use natural fragrance or essential oils, even though the listing says it is free of artificial fragrances. For a fragrance-free wash, buy the Unscented bag.9
ATTITUDE Mountain Fresh liquid, 40 loads (67.6 fl oz)
This is the Mountain Fresh scent. ATTITUDE's scented detergents list Fragrance (Parfum). The same maker sells an Unscented version, which is the one to buy for a fragrance-free wash.10
How can I tell a detergent is really fragrance free?
Check three things. First, the EPA Safer Choice list has a fragrance-free flag. Of the 22 Amazon listings we looked up, 7 carry it: Biokleen Free & Clear, Seventh Generation Free & Clear, Dirty Labs Free & Clear, ECOS Free & Clear and three Tide Free & Gentle listings.2 Second, read the ingredient list for fragrance, parfum or essential oils. Third, read the scent name in the title.
Not being on the EPA list does not mean a product has fragrance. It means we found no record, so we read the label instead.
Which "free" detergents still list fragrance?
The Molly's Suds bag that sells best on Amazon is the Lotus & Peony scent.9 The maker says scented bags use natural fragrance or essential oils, though the listing says free of artificial fragrances.9 The Unscented bag says it has none.5
The ATTITUDE listing with Mountain Fresh in its title is scented.10 ATTITUDE's scented liquids list Fragrance (Parfum).10
Fragrance free but with a preservative: does that matter?
Fragrance free only covers scent. Tide lists benzisothiazolinone,1 ECOS lists methylisothiazolinone,3 and Seventh Generation lists a benzisothiazolinone-type preservative.6 Dirty Labs and Molly's Unscented name none.4, 5
Do fragrance free laundry sheets exist?
Yes. The Clean People Fragrance Free sheets name no fragrance.8 The maker marks only its Fresh & Clean sheet as containing fragrance.8 The sheets contain PVA, so read that page if PVA matters to you.
Questions people ask
Is unscented the same as fragrance free?
Not always. Unscented is a word on the front label. For Molly's Suds, the Unscented bag lists no fragrance, but the Lotus & Peony bag lists natural fragrance.5, 9
Is Tide Free & Gentle fragrance free?
EPA Safer Choice lists it with the fragrance-free flag, and Tide says it is free of dyes and perfumes.1, 2
Is Dreft fragrance free?
The Dreft Stage 1 Newborn label lists Fragrances, even though EPA Safer Choice lists Dreft Baby.2
What is the cheapest fragrance free detergent?
Among the picks here, ECOS has the lowest cost per load with the EPA flag. The table shows today's price for each.
Sources (11)
- Tide SmartLabel: Free & Gentle liquid 132 fl oz, ingredient list (updated 2025-09-19), read November 2, 2026. Quote: “Water; C10-16 Alketh; Sodium C10-16 Alkylbenzenesulfonate; Sodium Lauryl Sulfate; ... Alcohol; ... Benzisothiazolinone; Cellulase Enzyme”
- EPA Safer Choice product list (laundry detergents), CSV read 2026-11-02, read November 2, 2026. Quote: “Tide Free & Gentle, The Procter & Gamble Company, fragrance_free: True. Dreft Baby, The Procter & Gamble Company, fragrance_free: blank.”
- ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent, Free & Clear (maker page), read November 2, 2026. Quote: “Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, Phenoxyethanol (preservative), Methylisothiazolinone (preservative)”
- Dirty Labs Bio Enzyme Laundry Detergent, Free & Clear (maker page), read November 2, 2026. Quote: “Free & Clear: Fragrance Free. ... Certified EPA Safer Choice Fragrance-Free Partner.”
- Molly's Suds Original Laundry Powder, ingredients (maker page), read November 2, 2026. Quote: “Unscented contains no essential oils or fragrances”
- Seventh Generation Liquid Laundry Detergent, Free & Clear (maker page), read November 2, 2026. Quote: “Water, laureth-6 (plant-derived cleaning agent), sodium citrate (plant-derived water softener), sodium lauryl sulfate (plant-derived cleaning agent), sodium…”
- all free clear The Original Concentrated, ingredient list (maker page), read November 2, 2026. Quote: “water; C12-15 alcohols ethoxylated; sodium laureth sulfate; ... benzisothiazolinone”
- Clean People Laundry Detergent Sheets, ingredients (maker page), read November 2, 2026. Quote: “Starch; PVA; Vegetable Glycerin; Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate; Glycereth-6 Cocoate; ... Potassium Sorbate ... *Fresh & Clean contains fragrance”
- Molly's Suds Original Laundry Powder, ingredients (maker page), read November 2, 2026. Quote: “All other scents contain 100% natural fragrances derived from plant essences & oils.”
- ATTITUDE scented liquid laundry detergent, ingredients (maker page), read November 2, 2026. Quote: “... Methyldihydrojasmonate*, *Fragrance (Parfum).”
- Prices and photos: Amazon product data, read November 2, 2026.
The paper trail
Every product on this page was looked up in the EPA Safer Choice list, CPSC recalls, California Prop 65 notices and EWG’s database. We read each maker’s full ingredient label and worked out what a load or an ounce really costs. Every flag links to where it came from. How we snoop.