Personal care
Sunscreen, soap and skin care with a fully listed formula and an independent ingredient review.
How we rank personal care
- Ingredients 45%
- Independent testing 15%
- Does what it says 10%
- Trust 15%
- Value 15%
Why, and what each one means
We weigh the ingredient list most: few ingredients, no fragrance, nothing flagged in our guide to hidden chemicals. Testing counts less because few makers publish benzene, PFAS or heavy-metal results, and certifications screen ingredients, not the finished product. Where labs have looked, 33 of 35 sunscreens carried lead (opens in a new tab), and only 26% of mineral ones met their SPF labels (opens in a new tab). Alkaline soap raised infants’ skin pH more than a pH 5.5 cleanser in one study (opens in a new tab).
- Ingredients 45%
- Highest for one or a few ingredients, all named, with nothing artificial and no fragrance (named essential oils are fine). Each unnecessary additive, unnamed flavor, sweetener or preservative costs points.
- Independent testing 15%
- Highest for independent tests for benzene, PFAS or heavy metals where they turn up in this kind of product, with clean results.
- Does what it says 10%
- For sunscreen, an SPF test result; for the rest, claims that stay within what the ingredients can do.
- Trust 15%
- Highest when the maker names everything, answers questions, and has no recalls, warning letters, Prop 65 notices or lawsuits over safety or labeling. Points come off for unresolved problems and for paid promoters it does not disclose.
- Value 15%
- Price per ounce against the others here that pass.
Each product scores every one from 1 to 5, and its rating is the weighted average. We list only products rated 3 or above that break none of our rules.
We avoid
- “Fragrance” or “parfum” hiding undisclosed mixtures.
- Triclosan, parabens and phthalates on the label.
- “Clean”, “non-toxic” or “reef-safe” with no definition. None of these terms is regulated.
- Sunscreens with a past benzene finding and no current independent test.
Read the research
Know one that fits? Suggest a product
11 products · best rated first
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MelioraMeliora Bath & Body Soap Bar, Unscented
A six-ingredient coconut and sunflower oil soap bar with no fragrance, preservative or palm oil, listed by MADE SAFE. It is a lye soap, no independent lab has tested it, and it costs more per ounce than Dr. Bronner’s. MADE SAFE Certified -
Stinkbug NaturalsStinkbug Naturals Unscented Deodorant, 2.1 oz stick
Four ingredients and no scent: coconut oil, beeswax, baking soda and corn starch. A lab screen found no PFAS marker in it. Baking soda irritates some skin, the maker’s “draws out toxins” line has no support, and no metals result is public. -
KosmatologyKosmatology Organic Body Wash, Free & Clear (Unscented)
A six-ingredient liquid soap of olive oil, shea butter and castor oil, with no fragrance or essential oil, listed by MADE SAFE. It is a soap, so it is alkaline, no independent lab has tested it, and it costs about $1.50 an ounce. MADE SAFE Certified -
BadgerBadger Classic Lip Balm, Unscented, 0.15 oz stick
Four organic ingredients, no scent: olive oil, beeswax, castor oil and rosemary extract. A lab screen found no PFAS marker; no metals test exists. FDA warned Badger in 2022 over how it makes sunscreens, not balms. USDA Organic handler listing: W.S. Badger Co., Inc. (NOP ID 5520306251, certifier QAI) lists “Unscented Lip Balm .15oz” -
Plant TherapyPlant Therapy Organic Jojoba Body Oil, 4 fl oz (118 mL)
One ingredient, organic jojoba seed oil, with the maker’s USDA organic handler status confirmed. Its batch tests are unpublished, no outside lab has tested it, and its skin claims outrun the one uncontrolled study on jojoba. -
Dr. Bronner’sDr. Bronner’s Unscented Pure-Castile Bar Soap
A plain castile-type bar with ten named ingredients and no fragrance or essential oil, about $1.04 an ounce. It is a true soap, so it is alkaline. The brand settled a 2025 lawsuit over heavy metals in its toothpaste, a different product. EWG Verified (listed as “Baby Unscented”) -
Dr. Bronner’sDr. Bronner’s Unscented Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (sold as Baby Unscented), 32 fl oz
A fragrance-free castile soap of nine named ingredients, mostly organic oils, at about 54 cents an ounce of concentrate. It is alkaline, no lab has tested the soap itself, and the maker’s claims run from babies to pets. USDA Organic handler listing: All-One-God-Faith, Inc. DBA Dr. Bronner’s (NOP ID 8150001024, certifier Oregon Tilth) lists “Liquid Soap (Baby Unscented Pure-Castile Soap)” -
KosmatologyKosmatology Organic Lotion Bar, Free & Clear (Unscented)
A five-ingredient, water-free bar of shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, candelilla wax and elderberry extract, with no fragrance, listed by MADE SAFE. No independent lab has tested it, and it costs about $4.53 an ounce. MADE SAFE Certified -
BadgerBadger Balm Unscented, 2 oz tin
Two organic ingredients, olive oil and beeswax, in a 2 oz tin with no scent. No outside lab has tested it, FDA warned Badger in 2022 over how it makes sunscreens, and olive oil alone weakened the skin barrier in one small study. USDA Organic handler listing: W.S. Badger Co., Inc. (NOP ID 5520306251, certifier QAI) lists “Badger Balm - Unscented 2oz” -
VanicreamVanicream Moisturizing Cream
A plain, fragrance-free cream with ten listed ingredients and the National Eczema Association Seal, at about $0.85 an ounce. It is built on petrolatum with PEG-type emulsifiers and propylene glycol, and some store listings still show BHT. National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance -
VanicreamVanicream Shampoo (formerly Free & Clear Shampoo)
A fragrance-free, sulfate-free liquid shampoo with 15 named ingredients and mild sugar-based cleansers, about $0.92 an ounce. No outside group lists it (not the National Eczema Association) and we found no independent test.