Clean freaks rejoice, zero waste dish soap is one of the easiest zero waste swaps you can make.
These sustainable dish soaps provide an escape from the dreaded plastic bottle, and they keep our drainpipes and waterways cleaner, too. Who wants to eat off a plate washed with nasty surfactants, sulfates, and other synthetics, anyway?
Much like the search for dishwasher tablets, environmentally friendly dish soaps need to align with the following criteria: non-toxic, cruelty-free and vegan, ethically sourced ingredients and conscious packaging.
If you’re in a hurry to get your dishes done, let’s get scrubbing. And FIY, you can also just make your own DIY dish soap by following our super simple recipe at the bottom of the guide.
Note: Our brand rating system assesses brands based on multiple sustainability-related criteria, including things like chemical use, biodiversity impact, and ethics in the supply chain. Brands need to opt in to be rated. Look out for rated brands below and find others in our directory.
Our Top Picks: Zero Waste Dish Soaps
Gluten-free, vegan, zero cruelty, no toxic chemicals, and with a light-to-ship powder base—Blueland’s dish soap refills hit all the marks and then some. We tested it and love how simple it is to use – just sprinkle and scrub! Blueland has been comprehensively rated by us on their sustainability credentials – find the full rating here.
Meliora’s dish soap bar is MADE SAFE® Certified and is shipped in plastic-free, recyclable paperboard boxes. We found it lasted for almost a whole year!
Butter Me Up Organics’ dish soap block cuts grease without any plastic fuss, palm oil, or animal products on top of their squeaky clean, small-batch production. Not only does it perform well, but we’ve found that it lasts a long time, too.
Index: Sustainable Dish Soap Brands
- Blueland Jump to section
- Meliora Jump to section
- No Tox Life Jump to section
- RFRESH Soaps Jump to section
- etee Jump to section
- Butter Me Up Organics Jump to section
- DIY Dish Soap Recipe Jump to section
Blueland
Carbon Neutral
Brand has been certified as Carbon Neutral.
Cruelty-free
Products are not test on animals at any stage in their production.
Ethical Sourcing
Raw materials have been sourced ethically with people and planet in mind.
Minority Owned
Brand is owned by Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color.
Non-toxic
All products are made with ingredients or materials that are currently considered non-toxic
PFAS Free
Products have been tested and verified to be free of PFAS
Plastic-free
All products are entirely plastic-free
Refillable
Product packaging can be refilled with more product, either at a physical store or via a return program.
Thoughtful packaging
Product packaging has been designed and created with the end of life outcome in mind and can be easily recycled or composted.
Vegan
This brand does not use any animal products or by-products in their products
Woman Owned
This brand is owned by a woman or a group of women.
B Corp
Climate Neutral Certified
Cradle to Cradle
EPA Safer Choice
EWG
Leaping Bunny
MADE SAFE®
USDA BioPreferred
B Corp
The B Corp Certification, administered by the nonprofit B Lab, recognizes companies that meet high standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Certified B Corps balance profit with purpose, committing to responsible practices that benefit workers, communities, customers, and the planet while embedding sustainability into their business model.Cradle to Cradle
The Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard, administered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, evaluates products for their safety, circularity, and sustainability across five key categories: material health, product circularity, clean air & climate protection, water & soil stewardship, and social fairness. Products earn certification levels (Bronze to Platinum) based on how well they meet these rigorous criteria.EPA Safer Choice
The EPA Safer Choice label, managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, identifies products made with ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. Every ingredient is reviewed by the EPA’s scientific team to ensure it meets strict safety and performance standards, meaning products with this label are effective, low in toxicity, and formulated to reduce pollution and environmental impact.EWG
The EWG Verified® mark, issued by the Environmental Working Group, identifies products that meet the organization’s strictest standards for health and transparency. To earn the label, products must avoid ingredients of concern, fully disclose all ingredients (including fragrance components), and follow good manufacturing practices.Leaping Bunny
The Leaping Bunny certification, managed by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), is the globally recognized gold standard for cruelty-free products. It ensures that neither a company’s finished products nor their ingredients are tested on animals at any stage of development. Brands must also agree to independent audits and supplier monitoring, guaranteeing genuine cruelty-free commitment across their entire supply chain.MADE SAFE®
The MADE SAFE® certification is a comprehensive non-toxic seal that verifies products are made with safe ingredients not known or suspected to harm human health, animals, or ecosystems. Overseen by the MADE SAFE nonprofit, it screens every ingredient against a database of toxicological and environmental science criteria.USDA BioPreferred
The USDA Certified Biobased Product label, part of the BioPreferred® Program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, identifies products made from renewable biological ingredients. It displays the percentage of biobased content verified by the USDA.Blueland offers a biodegradable dish soap that comes to you in powder form.
There’s no need to mix it with water or anything; just sprinkle the powder on dishes while washing as needed and that’s it.
While you can start with the refills and fill your own container (the more zero waste option!), we also love the zero waste dish soap dispenser your first order comes in, too. Made of soft silicone, it seems super durable, while adding a fun, tactile twist to the standard soap jug.
While silicone isn’t biodegradable, it will last basically forever if cared for and can safely be run through the dishwasher.
Speaking of, if you prefer to let the dishwasher do the dirty deed (er, dirty dishes) in your stead, they also offer dishwasher-ready dish soap tablets, zero waste and all.
Neither the eco-friendly dish soap tablets nor powdered soap refills contain VOCs, parabens, ammonia, phthalates, or chlorine bleach.
About Blueland
The Certified B Corp only uses gluten-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and EWG-approved natural ingredients in their range of refillable cleaning products that extends far beyond just non-toxic dishwasher detergent and soap.
Blueland is also Climate Neutral Certified, with additional product certifications from MADE SAFE, Cradle to Cradle, EPA Safer Choice, USDA BioPreferred, and Leaping Bunny.
Blueland has been rated by Sustainable Jungle. Find the full rating here.
My Personal Review of Blueland’s Dish Soap Starter Set
“I’ve obviously heard of dishwasher powder but had never heard of regular powdered dish soap before Blueland, but after testing it, I love how simple it is. It’s perfect for cleaning up after smaller meals where the dishwasher isn’t required or for scrubbing items that aren’t dishwasher safe. It’s also really great for travel, where I know I’ll be washing my own dishes as I can just pack a little powder and it takes up virtually no luggage space.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Meliora
Meliora has not been rated.
Meliora’s Zero Waste Dish Soap Bar
Price Range: $10–$29
Ingredients in Meliora’s eco-friendly dish soap bar are MADE SAFE® Certified, Leaping Bunny Certified, vegan, and non-toxic.
This natural dishwashing soap doesn’t contain any palm oil, preservatives, dyes, phthalates, or sodium lauryl sulfate, either.
The products are shipped in plastic-free, recyclable paperboard boxes, which is a refreshing zero waste dish soap alternative to all the plastic involved in most conventional dish soaps.
About Meliora
None of Meliora’s products contain single-use plastic, with many completely plastic-free or shipped-in reusable, zero waste, and low-waste refillable options. Their EWG-certified ingredients and scents are posted online for full transparency.
Meliora is also a woman-owned, Certified B Corp and a partner of 1% for the Planet with a partnership specifically with Women’s Voices for the Earth.
My Personal Review of Meliora’s Dish Soap Block:
“I don’t use my dishwasher much—I’m more of a hand-washer, tackling dishes as I go, and for that, this Meliora dish block is perfect. Just like any dish soap block, you need to keep it in a dish that drains well, or it will get soft and soggy on the bottom. Store it properly, and it will last ages—I’ve been using mine for almost a year, and it’s still going strong! I enjoy its fresh, lemony scent, too.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
No Tox Life
No Tox Life has not been rated.
No Tox Life’s Eco-friendly Dish Soap
Price Range: $12
No Tox Life’s Dish Block™ has no sulfates, phosphates, parabens, synthetic fragrances or palm oil. It foams up beautifully, it’s biodegradable, and the added Aloe Vera won’t dry out your skin.
While its 7.5 oz size might sound small but it’s designed to replace three regular liquid dish soap bottles and will last one person about three months. We’ve tried it and can confirm, it lasts an impressively long time, even with handwashing being the primary dishwashing method used.
Not only is this one of the best solid dish soap options, but it’s also a great multipurpose soap that can be used for countertops, laundry stains, and even carpets!
About No Tox Life
No Tox Life is a cruelty-free and vegan company that makes eco-friendly home/kitchen products.
Most ingredients include soft plant butter, earthy clays, and nourishing essential oils.
No Tox Life is women-run and family-like. Everything is handmade by a small team of only six people.
They reuse shipping materials as much as possible and use biodegradable paper envelopes and padding or cornstarch-based peanuts where necessary.
No Tox Life sources directly from producers whenever possible, like women’s collective in Ghana. They also give soap to Showers of Hope and Recycled Resources, two nonprofits giving daily mobile showers to those experiencing homelessness in their LA area.
They also help with trash pickups in their neighborhood and pay their employees for participating in the Youth Climate Strike.
RFRESH Soaps
RFRESH Soaps has not been rated.
RFRESH Soaps’ Sustainable Soap Bar
Price Range: $9
REFRESH Soap creates long-lasting, eco-friendly dish detergent in a bar using traditional cold-processing soap-making methods.
After mixing the ingredients, pouring, and cutting the soap, they leave it to cure for 4–6 weeks which hardens the soap and increases its longevity.
The ingredients include olive and organic coconut oils (no palm oil), castor oil, sodium lactate (a salt solution derived from the natural fermentation of sugars found in corn and beets), and steam-distilled essential oils. All ingredients are vegan and cruelty-free.
Choose between unscented, orange bliss, and lemon zest scents.
You can even choose your packaging. If it’s a gift, opt for the compostable kraft paper box. Or if it’s for yourself, just select the naked packaging option.
About RFRESH Soaps
RFRESH Soaps are hand-crafted in small batches by founder Michelle Chow in Menlo Park, California.
By adopting an “ingredient-first mindset,” she crafts uncomplicated and multi-use bath and body products so you can “declutter your skincare”
All products are cruelty-free and vegetarian (some other products contain beeswax), and most of them are zero waste.
They’re also made without parabens, mineral oil, petroleum products, SLS, phthalates, dyes, and synthetic fragrances.
etee
etee has not been rated.
etee’s Plastic-Free Liquid Dish Soap (Canada-based)
Price Range: $24–$45
etee has three types of earth-friendly dish soap: a solid bar, dishwasher powder, or liquid concentrates.
The etee dish soap bar is entirely vegan and palm oil free and is formulated again with all plant-based and thoroughly USDA organic certified ingredients (except the lemon essential oil): coconut oil, castor oil, cocoa butter, and cane sugar.
Their dish soap concentrate is plastic-free thanks to an innovative beeswax refill pod. It’s formulated with 100% plant-based ingredients and is free from synthetic fragrances and foaming agents, dyes, unnatural preservatives, phthalates, sulfates, parabens, and anything formaldehyde-based.
The USDA-certified beeswax pod itself is fully compostable because it’s made with unprocessed waxes, oils, tree resins, and soy-based inks. Or, as we prefer to do, you can wash the pod and hold on to it until you have enough to melt down and repurpose into DIY candles and the like.
About etee
etee have complete oversight of their supply chain. This means every product that comes out of etee’s warehouse and lands up in your own house is plastic-free.
As for the environment, their factory is powered by renewable energy, and since their launch, their customers have together saved more than 100 million pieces of single-use plastic ending up in a landfill.
My Personal Review of etee’s Liquid Dish Soap
“etee is truly innovative with their beeswax refill pods, and I love the concept. All I have to do is rip open the pod, dump the thick concentrate into the dispenser, add water, and compost the pod (I do like to rip it into smaller pieces first). The soap cuts through grease and grime, but my one complaint is that after a short time, the concentrate settles and even crystalizes in cooler weather at the bottom of the jar, leaving a less effective watery liquid once that’s gone. So you really have to be on top of regularly shaking it up to keep it working as well.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Butter Me Up Organics
Butter Me Up Organics has not been rated.
Butter Me Up Organics’ Plastic-Free Dish Soap Bar
Price Range: $13
Butter Me Up Organics checks all the boxes—cruelty-free, palm oil free, ethically sourced, zero plastic, living wages, and charitable contributions
Their eco-friendly substitute for dish soap is made from organic saponofied coconut oil and organic castor oil, and it can become an eco-friendly dishwashing liquid by melting it and mixing in boiling water.
About Butter Me Up Organics
Butter Me Up Organics make low waste solutions for all our daily home and personal care products—from sunscreen to deodorant—packaged in glass, compostable cardboard tubes, or, in the case of their zero waste dish block, just a little paper wrapping.
Everything is shipped plastic-free and is filled with mostly organic, ethically sourced ingredients. They’re a cruelty-free brand, but do include beeswax in some of their skincare products, making them not suitable for some vegan consumers
My Personal Review of Butter Me Up Organics’ Dish Soap Block:
“This solid dish soap can become a dishwashing liquid by melting and mixing in boiling water or used by simply running your brush directly on the block. I’ve tried it both ways and am pleased to report either yields an effective and long-lasting natural dishwashing soap solution. However, I just generally prefer using the solid block as is, as I find the whole thing lasts much longer that way, as long as it’s kept in a well-draining soap dish.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
DIY Dish Soap Recipe
As with many personal and home products, sometimes the most sustainable solution for zero waste cleaning is the one you make yourself.
How do you make your own dish soap?
Fortunately, it’s easy, even if you aren’t much for cooking or concocting. All you need is either a plain Castile soap bar (from one of the brands above) or liquid Castile soap (which you can easily get from Dr Bronner’s), baking soda, water, and essential oil if desired. While a bar can easily be melted into a plastic-free liquid dish soap, you can often find Castile liquid dish soaps from local or select online bulk stores.
Here’s the step by step instructions.
Ingredients:
- Castile Soap (there are two options):
- Option 1: 25–30g of palm oil-free castile bar soap (e.g., traditional olive oil soap)
- Option 2: 170ml of palm oil-free liquid castile soap
- Baking Soda: 2 teaspoons
- Water: 600ml
- Essential Oil (optional): 3 drops of your preferred scent
Equipment:
- Grater (if using bar soap)
- Saucepan
- Spoon for stirring
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Soap dispenser and an additional jar for surplus
A couple of notes on this dish soap recipe.
- Your homemade dish soap may not cut grease as effectively as commercial products. If you have really greasy dishes, you’ll probably need to apply the castile soap directly.
- If the soap solidifies or becomes too thick, blend the mixture to achieve a smoother consistency and shake well before each use.
1. Prepare the Soap Base:
For Bar Soap:
- Grate 25–30g of the castile bar soap into fine flakes.
- Bring 600ml of water to a boil, then remove from heat.
- Add the soap flakes to the hot water, stirring until fully dissolved.
- Allow the mixture to cool until it’s warm but not hot to the touch.
For Liquid Castile Soap:
- Warm 600ml of water until it’s comfortably warm (not boiling).
- Stir in 170ml of liquid castile soap until well combined.
2. Add Baking Soda (this is a great addition to a homemade soap recipe. It provides gentle scrubbing power, acts as a natural de-greaser, softens hard water and neutralizes odors):
- Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda to the warm soap mixture.
- Stir thoroughly to ensure the baking soda is completely dissolved.
3. Add Essential Oils (this is optional if the castile soap doesn’t already have a scent):
- Add 2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil to soapy liquid, this will add that refreshing scent.
- Stir to evenly distribute the solution.
4. Add to Dispenser:
- Once the homemade soap solution has cooled to room temperature, pour it into a soap dispenser.
- Store any excess in your spare jar.
- Shake the dispenser gently before each use to ensure consistent texture.
Plastic-Free Dishwashing Products
In addition to making your dish soap sustainable itself, you can eco-fy your entire eco-friendly dishwashing routine.
Soap Bag
Of course, what good is zero waste soap if you don’t have a zero waste scrubber/bag to go with it?
A zero waste soap bag is one of the first valuable tools to consider. Because most natural soaps do not have synthetic foaming agents, they don’t always sud up quite as much as you might be used to.
Zero waste soap bags, like these hemp or jute ones, hold your bar and help foam it up. They also help as the bar gets smaller, so you don’t end up wasting any of it.
Loofah
Eco-friendly loofah alternatives (AKA real loofah sponges) are the simplest, eco-friendly sponge around.
Why?
Because like the biodegradable dish soap, you’ll be partnering them with, loofahs are completely biodegradable because they’re a vegetable.
Dish Cloths
To be even more gentle on the dishes, you could try eco-friendly dishcloths, typically made from a home-compostable blend of cotton and cellulose, which is very absorbent.
If properly allowed to dry in between uses, they can last a long while.
For something a little heftier, try the washable (and colorful!) dish sponge by Marley’s Monsters.
Compostable Pot Scrubbers
For stubborn, stuck-on food, a compostable pot scrubber is a great sustainable alternative. These can be anything from a bamboo pot scrubber to coconut fiber dish brushes. Basically, anything with a wooden handle (ideally sustainably harvested) and plant-based bristles.
This Redecker compostable dishwashing brush is a great example.
Zero Waste Soap Holders
If you’re opting for a sustainable dish soap bar, make sure you pair it with an equally eco-friendly soap dish so that the bar can properly dry, extending its life as long as possible
Between uses, ensure the soap bar dries out, because natural dishwashing soaps don’t include preservatives or synthetic stabilizers, meaning they can’t hold up to remaining wet all the time.
You can do this with a simple soap holder with proper drainage. Etsy has so many beautiful hand-crafted ceramic or natural soap dishes available, but you can also try local antique and thrift shops.
Or make your own using a saucer and some stones!
If you’re using liquid dish soap, you’ll need something different. Fortunately, more sustainable dish soap dispensers can be made from old mason jars fitted with a pump top, or other old push bottles (like hand soap containers).
For a clean, simple look to match your jar-jammed kitchen pantry, there are many pre-made mason jar soap dispenser options on Etsy.
Have a friend who hates washing dishes?
Send them this list of the best sustainable dish soaps to inspire them to make their least favorite chore a little better for the planet.
How We Found The Best Zero Waste Dish Soap Brands
What is eco-friendly dish soap? For instance, is Dawn dish soap eco-friendly?
They use it to clean all those oil-covered birds, after all…
Just because it used to clean up a fraction of the damage from something more damaging, doesn’t make it eco-friendly—so what makes a dish soap eco-friendly?
Turns out, most of the same things that make up our ethical and sustainable beauty. A clean kitchen sink is a thing of beauty, after all.
Much like the search for eco-friendly dishwasher tablets, environmentally friendly dish soaps need to align with the following criteria:
- Non-toxic: Soap specific, we want to avoid petroleum-based surfactants (which speed up the molecules of food and grease particles so that water can dilute and wash them away). However, not only is the extraction of fossil fuels decidedly unsustainable, but the surfactants are often not biodegradable. That means they both lower the surface tension of whatever water they end up in and can poison the ecosystem for an extended period.
- Cruelty-free and Vegan: Ethical beeswax can make the exception in some products like zero waste sunscreen, but there’s not any reason for there to be animals in our dishwashing routines
- Palm oil free: If palm oil is used, we want it to be certified sustainably sourced by entities like RSPO.
- Ethical ingredient sourcing
Thoughtful packaging: Seeking packaging that is zero waste, means that which is compostable, reusable, or refillable. It’s exciting to see new innovations like dissolvable powder and meltable solid bars that allow for even eco dishwashing liquid without the plastic bottles.
Final Thoughts On Zero Waste Dish Detergent & Soap
It’s easy to flip on an environmental podcast (the Sustainable Jungle Podcast, perhaps?) and scrub away at last night’s meatloaf without much thought.
But switching to zero waste dish soap (or at least a natural alternative to dish soap) goes a long way.
Because what is zero waste dish soap?
An easy way to dish up sustainability and become a little closer to your zero waste kitchen goals.
These soaps provide an escape from the dreaded plastic bottle, and they keep our drainpipes and waterways cleaner, too. Who wants to eat off a plate washed with nasty surfactants, sulfates, and other synthetics, anyway?
Have a friend who hates washing dishes?
Send them this list of the best eco-friendly dish soap brands to inspire them to make their least favorite chore a little better for the planet.
Amber obtained Bachelor of Arts degrees in English, Creative Writing, and Psychology from The University of Oxford and Arcadia University. She is an avid crafter, gardener, quail farmer, wannabe novelist, and self-proclaimed eco adventurer. From living in a camper van to living in a tiny house, she is enamored by the small and self-sufficient; and aspires to one day become an off-grid micro-farmer, bridging sustainability with non-toxic living and eating. With a passion for outdoor sports like rock climbing, skiing, and travel, having already backpacked across 30 countries, she is always up for the next big adventure while seeking ways to minimize her impact along the way.
Liquid dish soaps also leave a greasy residue — it’s hard to love these products when your dishes are slippery and oily looking. I believe it’s the use of coconut oil and the absence of surfactants. Is there a natural surfactant? Has anyone found a non-greasy liquid dishwashing soap?
Good post guys!
Thanks so much for this list. I am frustrated in my search for dishwashing products. I have tried several of the block soaps and they all have left a waxy residue on my dishes and sink. I hesitate to try more of them..
Hi Krista, It certainly can be frustrating finding eco products that work! I feel the pain! Hope you can find a dish washing solution that works for you!
This was a nice comprehensive list. Thank you. I would have appreciated some info on cost. Yes, people want to reduce their use of plastic, but unfortunately for some (maybe many) cost is an issue. I have found many lovely alternatives only to find that they cost 30X or more than what a basic bottle of dish washing fluid costs per use. These alternatives need to check off the cost box as well as all the others in order to become main stream. People may give up some convenience and learn to utilize other options but absorbing the additional cost may be too much.
Do Dropps meet your criteria?
check out the dish and laundry soap from Simple Passion Soaps on Etsy! minimal ingredients, paper packaging, reasonable pricing and one bar has lasted me two months. I’ve used this on everything from ceramic bowls to stainless steel silverware and to wash out everything from salad dressing to oatmeal to tomato sauce from dishes and it works tremendously. https://www.etsy.com/listing/671604528/2-bars-of-lavender-or-orange-lemon?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1
Wow, sounds like an excellent product, we’ll look into it thank you for the tip!
The soaps with palm oil should t even be on the list!
Thanks Yanna, Agree palm oil is bad news. But unfortunately, it’s not always black and white and we like to try include small brands that are making an active effort to exclude palm oil as well as meet some other ethicl objectives. Some on this list are in the process of phasing palm oil out. Others we’ve included because the product we’re recommending itself doesn’t include palm oil (even though the brand uses for other things). Sometimes, we think it’s good to show progress and help set the benchmark of what the best brands are doing.