Downy Soft Free & Gentle Fabric Softener

Breakdown

1 ingredient to avoid

Downy Soft Free & Gentle Fabric Softener scores 36/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in. It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

Downy Soft Free & Gentle Fabric Softener lists 8 ingredients, starting with Water, Diethylester Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-33, Polyquaternium-32 and Pentasodium Pentetate. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

At 36/100 Downy Soft Free & Gentle Fabric Softener scores worse than most laundry we have scored. A higher-scoring option in laundry is Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda at 100/100.