The best washing detergents for eczema — and what to avoid

Laundry detergent is in contact with your skin for sixteen or more hours a day — absorbed into every layer of fabric you wear, every item of bedding you sleep in. If your detergent contains irritants, you're being continuously re-exposed to them without necessarily making the connection.

This is a common hidden trigger that's easy to fix once identified.

Why standard detergents are problematic

Conventional laundry detergents are complex formulations containing surfactants, enzymes, optical brighteners, fragrances, and preservatives. Several of these ingredients are known contact allergens or irritants in people with eczema.

Fragrances are the most common culprit. They're the leading cause of contact allergic dermatitis globally, and they don't need to smell strongly to cause reactions — a "fragrance-free" claim on the front of a product may be misleading if fragrance masking agents are used to eliminate the smell while leaving the chemical compounds in place. Always check the ingredient list for "fragrance," "parfum," or specific fragrance compounds.

Optical brighteners — chemicals that absorb UV light and re-emit it as visible light, making whites look whiter — remain in fabric after washing and contact the skin directly. They're a documented cause of photocontact dermatitis in sensitive individuals.

Biological enzymes (proteases, lipases, amylases) break down protein and fat stains effectively but can also irritate compromised skin. Non-biological detergents omit these enzymes and are generally better tolerated by eczema-prone skin, though the evidence here is less strong than for fragrance.

What to look for in an eczema-friendly detergent

The criteria are: fragrance-free (confirmed by checking the full ingredient list, not just the front label), dye-free, no optical brighteners, and ideally non-biological. Products carrying dermatological testing certification — from organisations like the British Skin Foundation or Skin Health Alliance — have been assessed for skin irritation, which provides some additional reassurance.

Rinse cycle

Even a well-chosen detergent leaves residue in fabric if not thoroughly rinsed. Adding an extra rinse cycle to every wash is one of the simplest and most effective changes you can make, and costs nothing beyond slightly longer wash times. This is particularly important for towels and bedding, which have more fibres for detergent to accumulate in.

Skip fabric softener entirely. Fabric softeners coat fibres with a chemical film designed to feel soft — this film is in direct contact with the skin after drying and contains fragrance and conditioning agents that are common irritants. The softness benefit is cosmetic; the irritant cost for eczema skin is real.

Testing a new detergent

When switching detergents, run the new detergent through two or three full wash cycles with an extra rinse on your most-worn items before evaluating. This removes residue from the previous detergent and allows a cleaner comparison. Evaluate over four weeks, as with any eczema trigger change.