EWG laundry detergent ratings grade cleaners A through F based on ingredient hazards and how fully the maker discloses what’s inside.
An A on a detergent page looks like a safety badge, but it isn’t one — and the letter next to your favorite brand is doing something more specific. The grade comes from EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning, which has scored household cleaners since 2012. Reading it correctly takes about a minute once you know what each letter reflects: ingredient hazard, disclosure quality, or both.
What The EWG Letters Actually Mean
The grade blends two separate judgments: how hazardous the ingredients are, and how completely the manufacturer reveals them. A top score requires both low concern and thorough disclosure, while a bottom score can come from either high toxicity or an ingredient list so thin that EWG couldn’t properly assess it.
EWG states plainly that the score is not a simple average of individual ingredient scores. It reflects the combined hazards of everything in the product, and a company’s poor disclosure can drag a grade down on its own.
Here’s the practical read on each band:
- A or B: Lower concern ingredients plus better disclosure.
- C: An average cleaner — no overt hazards flagged, some disclosure.
- D or F: Higher concern ingredients, weak disclosure, or both.
That last point matters most. A D or F doesn’t always mean the formula is dangerous; sometimes it means the company told EWG almost nothing, and incomplete disclosure worsens the score by design.
What EWG Evaluates — And What The Grade Is Not
The rating weighs three things: ingredient hazard, the completeness and credibility of the disclosure, and the environmental and health effects tied to the listed substances.
| Grade | What Drives It | How To Read It |
|---|---|---|
| A | Low-hazard ingredients, extensive disclosure | Strongest available signal, still not a guarantee |
| B | Lower concern, solid disclosure | Good standing overall |
| C | No overt hazards found, partial disclosure | Average; check the product page detail |
| D | Higher concern ingredients or thin disclosure | Worth a closer look at the ingredient list |
| F | High toxicity or little to no disclosure | Weakest score; disclosure may be the cause |
Because EWG builds grades from labels, manufacturer websites, and safety documents, a brand that shares more can score better even without a formula change. That’s why a grade can shift between versions of the same product.
Two limits are worth remembering. The EWG grade is not a government certification and not a guarantee of safety — it’s an independent assessment. And an A doesn’t automatically mean fragrance-free, dye-free, or certified organic; those claims only count when the product page says so explicitly.
EWG Verified Is A Separate, Stricter Standard
A high letter grade and the EWG VERIFIED mark are two different things, and the mark is harder to earn. Products seeking EWG VERIFIED status must score A or B in the Guide to Healthy Cleaning before they can qualify.
The VERIFIED cleaning criteria go further than the grading system: they require public disclosure of intentionally added ingredients at or above 0.01%, listed on both the product label and the manufacturer’s website. So a detergent carrying the mark has cleared a transparency bar that a plain A grade never tested.
One common mix-up to avoid: EWG’s cleaning grades are unrelated to Skin Deep, the separate EWG system for personal care products, which uses a numeric scale. Detergent letters and lotion numbers don’t compare.
If the research has you ready to switch, this tested roundup of top-rated EWG laundry detergents puts the highest-scoring picks side by side. One more tool worth knowing: EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning FAQ explains how scores are assigned.
Common Questions
Does a better letter grade mean a detergent cleans better?
No. EWG’s grades measure ingredient hazard and disclosure, not cleaning performance. A detergent with a C can wash clothes just as effectively as one with an A. Use the score to judge what’s in the bottle and how openly the company shares it, then rely on your own experience or product testing for stain-fighting and whitening results.
Why did a detergent’s grade change without a formula change?
Disclosure drives part of the score. If a manufacturer updates its website or label with more complete ingredient information, EWG can reassess the product and the grade may improve. The reverse happens too: when EWG can’t identify ingredients from available labels and documents, incomplete disclosure can worsen the score even if the formula itself is unchanged.
Can I trust an A grade as a safety guarantee?
Not as a guarantee. EWG’s grade is an independent assessment, not a government certification, and it reflects the ingredients EWG could identify plus the quality of disclosure. An A signals low concern and strong transparency, which is meaningful, but it doesn’t certify that a product is hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, or safe for every household member.
Sources
- Environmental Working Group. “Guide to Healthy Cleaning FAQ.” Explains A–F grades, scoring logic, and what the ratings measure.
- Environmental Working Group. “EWG VERIFIED Licensing Criteria for Cleaners.” Details the 0.01% disclosure threshold and the A/B score requirement.
- Environmental Working Group. “ECOS Laundry Detergent, Free & Clear.” Example product page showing how a detergent is scored in the guide.