I’m going to annoy the fans of both brands with this article. See our side-by-side comparison in blueland vs branch basics.

We research, test, and evaluate products based on health impact, ingredient transparency, and third-party certifications. You can read more about how we test and pick products. Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyer’s sit at the top of most “natural cleaning products” recommendation lists. They’re in every grocery store. They have earthy branding. People buy them thinking they’ve made a safe choice for their families. Read our full take in branch basics review: is the concentrate system worth.

The reality is more complicated. Both brands contain ingredients that many toxicologists flag as concerning. Neither is as clean as the packaging suggests. And the difference between the two is more about what kind of compromise you’re willing to make. Read our full take in is seventh generation actually non-toxic?.

NonToxicLab went through the ingredient lists for the most popular products from both brands, cross-referenced them with the EWG cleaning product database, and talked to the research. Here’s what we found. For the safety breakdown, read are air fresheners toxic? what’s actually in that spray.

The Ingredient Problem No One Talks About

Mrs. Meyer’s and Fragrance

Mrs. Meyer’s whole brand identity is built on scent. Lavender, lemon verbena, basil, honeysuckle. The fragrances are why people buy these products. They’re also the biggest problem.

Every Mrs. Meyer’s product contains “fragrance” or “fragrance (parfum)” on the ingredient label. Under current US law, companies aren’t required to disclose what’s inside their fragrance blends. A single “fragrance” listing can contain dozens to hundreds of individual chemical components, including synthetic musks, phthalates, and allergens.

To their credit, Mrs. Meyer’s does publish a fragrance ingredient list on their website (they were early to do this). Looking at those lists, their fragrances contain a mix of plant-derived essential oils and synthetic fragrance chemicals. Some of these synthetics, like linalool and limonene, are classified as potential allergens and sensitizers by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety.

Dr. Leonardo Trasande at NYU Langone has published research showing that phthalates, which are used as fragrance stabilizers in many consumer products, can interfere with hormone function even at low exposure levels. Mrs. Meyer’s states they don’t use phthalates, but without full third-party verification of fragrance blends, consumers are taking their word for it.

Seventh Generation and Preservatives

Seventh Generation takes a different approach. Many of their products are fragrance-free or use essential oils only. On the fragrance front, they’re cleaner than Mrs. Meyer’s.

But they have their own issues. Several Seventh Generation products contain methylisothiazolinone (MIT) or other isothiazolinone preservatives, which the American Contact Dermatitis Society named “Allergen of the Year” in 2013. These preservatives are effective at preventing bacterial growth in water-based cleaning solutions, but they’re among the most common causes of contact dermatitis from household products.

Seventh Generation has been phasing some of these out, and their newer formulations show improvement. But if you’re buying from existing shelf stock, check the label. The ingredient lists vary by product and by when it was manufactured.

EWG Scores: A Mixed Bag for Both

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) rates cleaning products on a scale from A (best) to F (worst). Here’s how the most popular products from each brand score:

ProductEWG Grade
Seventh Generation Dish Soap (Free & Clear)A
Seventh Generation All-Purpose Cleaner (Free & Clear)A
Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent (Free & Clear)A
Seventh Generation Disinfecting SprayC
Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap (Lavender)C
Mrs. Meyer’s All-Purpose Cleaner (Lemon Verbena)C
Mrs. Meyer’s Laundry Detergent (Lavender)B
Mrs. Meyer’s Hand Soap (various)C-D

The pattern is clear: Seventh Generation’s fragrance-free (Free & Clear) products score well. Their scented and disinfecting products score worse. Mrs. Meyer’s scores in the C range across most products, dragged down primarily by fragrance-related ingredients.

If you’re buying Seventh Generation, stick with the Free & Clear line. If you’re buying the scented versions, the advantage over Mrs. Meyer’s shrinks considerably.

Who Owns These Brands?

This is worth knowing.

Seventh Generation was acquired by Unilever in 2016 for an estimated $700 million. Unilever also makes Dove, Axe, and Domestos (a bleach-based cleaner). Seventh Generation operates as a subsidiary and has stated they maintain independent formulation control. Whether that remains true long-term is an open question. Corporate acquisitions tend to move brands toward the parent company’s standards over time.

Mrs. Meyer’s is made by Caldrea Company, which is owned by SC Johnson. SC Johnson also makes Windex, Pledge, Raid, and Glade. Same story: Mrs. Meyer’s claims formulation independence from the parent company.

Both brands are now owned by conventional cleaning product conglomerates. That doesn’t automatically mean the products have changed, but it’s context worth having.

Product-by-Product Comparison

Dish Soap

Seventh Generation Free & Clear dish soap is genuinely one of the cleanest conventional dish soaps you can buy. Plant-derived surfactants, no fragrance, no dyes, EWG-A rated. It doesn’t cut grease as aggressively as Dawn, but it works well for everyday dishes.

Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap smells incredible (the basil one is genuinely nice). But the fragrance load is heavy, and when you’re washing dishes with hot water, those volatile fragrance compounds are aerosolizing right into your breathing zone. From a pure ingredient safety standpoint, Seventh Generation’s Free & Clear is the better choice here.

All-Purpose Cleaner

Seventh Generation’s all-purpose cleaner (Free & Clear) uses hydrogen peroxide as the active cleaning agent with plant-based surfactants. Simple and effective. The scented version adds essential oils that bump the EWG score down slightly.

Mrs. Meyer’s all-purpose cleaner works well as a surface spray but contains more synthetic fragrance components. The cleaning power is similar between the two. The ingredient safety difference is the fragrance.

Laundry Detergent

Both brands offer effective plant-based laundry detergents. Mrs. Meyer’s actually scores better here (EWG-B) because the fragrance load in a diluted laundry application is lower-risk than in a concentrated dish soap.

Seventh Generation’s Free & Clear laundry detergent scores an A and is one of the few affordable, widely available detergents that’s free of fragrances, dyes, and optical brighteners. If you have sensitive skin or young kids, it’s one of the easiest switches you can make.

Dr. Shanna Swan, whose research at Mount Sinai focuses on environmental reproductive toxicology, highlights that laundry products represent an underappreciated source of skin-contact chemical exposure. Residues from detergent and fabric softener stay in fabric fibers and remain in contact with skin all day. A fragrance-free detergent eliminates one layer of that exposure.

Disinfectants

Here’s where both brands stumble. Effective disinfection requires chemicals that kill microorganisms, and those chemicals aren’t gentle.

Seventh Generation’s disinfecting spray uses thymol (derived from thyme) as the active ingredient. It’s EPA-registered as a disinfectant and works against common household bacteria and viruses. But thymol can be irritating to respiratory passages and skin, and the product scores a C on EWG.

Mrs. Meyer’s doesn’t market a dedicated disinfectant spray in the same way, but their multi-surface products don’t claim to disinfect. If you need actual disinfection (not just cleaning), Seventh Generation’s thymol-based option is one of the better plant-based choices, understanding that “plant-based disinfectant” doesn’t mean “harmless.”

What About Branch Basics?

If you’re comparing Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyer’s, you should also know that brands like Branch Basics exist in a cleaner category altogether. Branch Basics uses a single concentrate with a genuinely minimal ingredient list (no fragrance, no preservatives of concern, no synthetic surfactants). It costs more, but the ingredient profile is in a different league.

We cover that comparison in detail in our Branch Basics vs Dr. Bronner’s article if you want to explore truly clean options.

The Real Recommendation

Here’s what NonToxicLab actually tells people:

  1. Best option in the Seventh Generation line: Free & Clear products across the board. Skip the scented versions and the disinfecting spray unless you specifically need them.

  2. Mrs. Meyer’s is fine for: People who understand the fragrance trade-off and choose to accept it. The products work well and smell great. But don’t buy them thinking you’re avoiding chemical exposure. You’re choosing a different chemical exposure than conventional cleaners.

  3. If you want to go cleaner than either brand: Look at Branch Basics, Meliora, or make your own cleaning solutions with castile soap, vinegar, and baking soda. These options have shorter, simpler ingredient lists.

  4. The most overrated switch people make is going from Windex to Mrs. Meyer’s and feeling like they’ve solved the problem. You’ve reduced some exposures and traded others. That’s progress, but it’s not the finish line.

For our full breakdown of the cleanest options on the market, check our best non-toxic cleaning products guide.

Questions People Ask

Is Seventh Generation really non-toxic?

“Non-toxic” isn’t a regulated term for cleaning products. Seventh Generation’s Free & Clear products have some of the cleanest ingredient lists among widely available brands. Their scented products and disinfectants contain ingredients that some toxicologists flag as potential irritants or sensitizers. It’s a spectrum, not a binary.

Is Mrs. Meyer’s safe for babies?

Mrs. Meyer’s products are generally considered safe for household use, but the fragrance ingredients may be irritating for infants with sensitive skin or respiratory systems. For nurseries, baby laundry, and surfaces babies touch, fragrance-free products are a safer choice. Seventh Generation Free & Clear or dedicated baby-safe brands like Attitude or Puracy would be better options.

Does Mrs. Meyer’s contain phthalates?

Mrs. Meyer’s states that their products do not contain phthalates. They publish fragrance ingredient lists on their website. However, “fragrance” as an ingredient category has historically been used to obscure phthalate content, and without independent third-party testing of every batch, consumers are relying on self-reported data.

Is Seventh Generation owned by a big corporation?

Yes. Unilever acquired Seventh Generation in 2016. Seventh Generation states they maintain independent control over product formulation, sourcing, and sustainability practices. Unilever’s track record with other acquired “natural” brands has been mixed, so it’s worth monitoring over time.

What is the safest all-purpose cleaner?

Based on ingredient lists and third-party ratings, Branch Basics concentrate diluted for all-purpose use is one of the safest widely available options. Among more affordable and accessible brands, Seventh Generation Free & Clear all-purpose cleaner is a strong choice. For a DIY approach, diluted castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s) with water works for most surfaces.

Do natural cleaning products actually clean as well?

For everyday cleaning (counters, sinks, floors, dishes), plant-based cleaning products perform comparably to conventional ones. Where they fall short is heavy-duty degreasing and disinfection. If you need to cut serious grease, a conventional degreaser will outperform any plant-based option. For disinfection, you need an EPA-registered product regardless of whether it’s plant-derived or synthetic.

Sources

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