A person washing a plate in the kitchen sink.

19 Cruelty-Free Dish Soaps That Cut Grease Without Guilt

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Washing dishes isn’t anyone’s favorite task, but a good dish soap can make it feel a little less like a chore. The good news? You don’t have to use products that still test on animals to get sparkling clean dishes.

I’ve rounded up 19 cruelty-free dish soaps that cut through grease without the harsh chemicals or guilt. They’re all certified by Leaping Bunny or PETA and most are vegan too.

(Brands marked with an asterisk are owned by a parent company that isn’t cruelty-free.)

In a hurry? Here are our top picks!

1. ATTITUDE 

ATTITUDE makes a plant-based dish soap that’s tough on grease but gentle on skin. It’s hypoallergenic, cruelty-free, and vegan, made with ingredients that rate well on the Environmental Working Group’s safety scale. The recyclable bottle and light natural scents like pink grapefruit and green apple make it an easy eco-friendly swap for everyday dishes.

2. Better Life

Better Life makes a gentle dish soap that still handles tough, greasy pans. It’s made with vitamin E and aloe vera to protect your hands and is free from sulfates, dyes, and synthetic fragrance. The biodegradable formula is safe for waterways and marine life, so you can feel good about what’s going down the drain. It comes in a few clean scents like lemon mint, pomegranate, and unscented.

3. Biokleen

Biokleen makes a concentrated dish soap that cuts through grease and baked-on food without harsh chemicals. It’s vegan, biodegradable, and made without phosphates, ammonia, or petroleum solvents. The formula includes aloe to help protect your hands and comes in fresh, natural scents like citrus essence and lemon thyme, plus gel and powder options if you prefer a different format.

4. Caldrea*

Caldrea makes a beautifully scented dish soap that feels more like a small luxury than a cleaning chore. It’s vegan, biodegradable, and safe for greywater systems, using aloe vera to soften hands and soap bark extract to break down grease. With scents like sea salt neroli, basil blue sage, and rosewater driftwood, it’s a good pick if you like your kitchen to smell as nice as it looks.

5. CitraSolv

CitraSolv makes a plant-based dish soap that cuts through grease without being rough on your hands. The Valencia Orange scent gives it a bright, clean feel, and the formula is gentle enough to double as a hand wash. It’s an affordable, eco-friendly option that still leaves your dishes sparkling.

6. Cleancult

Cleancult makes a natural dish soap that tackles grease and grime without drying your hands. The formula uses plant-based ingredients that clean effectively while staying gentle on skin. It’s vegan and available as a liquid detergent or an eco-friendly powdered tablet, giving you two easy ways to keep dishes spotless and waste low.

7. ECOS

ECOS makes a gentle, plant-based dish soap that’s safe for sensitive skin and tough on grease. It’s vegan, hypoallergenic, and gluten-free, made with ingredients that are dermatologist-tested and eco-friendly. Scents like bamboo lemon, apricot, and lavender keep things fresh without being overpowering, and there’s also a Free & Clear version if you prefer fragrance-free.

8. Ecover*

Ecover makes a plant-based dish soap that cleans well without being harsh on your hands. It’s vegan, biodegradable, and made with natural fragrances, using ingredients that are gentle on both your skin and the environment. Scents like lime zest, pink geranium, and fragrance-free keep things simple, and their phosphate-free dishwasher tablets are a nice bonus if you want to stay within the same brand.

9. Grab Green 

Grab Green makes a clean-rinse dish soap that cuts through grease without leaving residue behind. The formula performs like a conventional detergent but skips the harsh chemicals, so it’s easier on your hands and the environment. Scents like thyme with fig leaf and tangerine with lemongrass add a fresh, natural touch to your kitchen routine.

10. Grove Co. 

Grove Co. makes a plant-based dish soap that tackles tough messes like dried-on food and greasy pans. It’s designed for their refillable glass dispenser, so you can cut down on plastic while keeping your kitchen routine simple. The formula is made with 98% plant-derived ingredients and scented with essential oils like orange and rosemary or lavender blossom and thyme, giving you clean dishes and a fresh-smelling sink.

11. Meliora 

Meliora’s solid dish soap bar is a low-waste way to get your dishes clean without the plastic bottle. Made with organic coconut and sunflower oils, it creates a rich lather that cuts through grease and food stains with ease. It’s vegan, MADE SAFE certified, and scented with pure lemon essential oil, offering a simple, effective option for anyone looking to cut down on packaging and questionable ingredients.

12. Method*

Method makes a concentrated dish soap that cuts through grease without the harsh chemicals. The gel formula comes in a refillable pump bottle and uses biodegradable, plant-based ingredients that clean well and rinse easily. It’s vegan and available in a wide range of scents like honeycrisp apple, french lavender, and pink grapefruit, perfect if you like having a little variety at the sink.

13. Molly’s Suds

Molly’s Suds makes a gentle but effective dish soap that works well for everyday use, even on baby bottles and pacifiers. The formula breaks down grease and stuck-on food without harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrance. It’s biodegradable, pH balanced, and made in the USA with a focus on people, pets, and the planet, making it a dependable choice for low-tox homes.

14. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day*

Mrs. Meyer’s makes a plant-based dish soap that cuts through grease and leaves your kitchen smelling fresh. It’s vegan, biodegradable, and pH neutral, making it safe for greywater systems and gentle on hands. With scents like basil, lavender, and lemon verbena, it’s a simple way to make daily cleanup feel a little more enjoyable.

15. Planet 

Planet makes a simple and effective dish soap that gets dishes clean without using harsh chemicals. The formula is gentle on hands and safe for septic and greywater systems, making it a good choice for eco-conscious homes. You only need a small amount for a full sink of dishes, so one bottle lasts a long time.

16. Puracy 

Puracy makes a plant-based dish soap that’s gentle on skin but tough on grease. It’s hypoallergenic, biodegradable, and free from harsh chemicals and sulfates. The formula leaves your hands soft after washing, and it’s vegan, making it a great everyday option for a cleaner home and a lighter footprint.

17. Rebel Green 

Rebel Green makes a non-toxic, plant-based dish soap that cleans effectively without harsh ingredients. It’s vegan, biodegradable, and sulfate-free, with gentle formulas that are easy on hands and safe for everyday use. Scents like lavender and grapefruit or peppermint and lemon add a fresh, light touch to your kitchen routine.

18. Seventh Generation*

Seventh Generation makes a vegan dish soap that’s tough on grease but gentle on skin. The formula is hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested, and free from dyes, fragrances, and triclosan. You can choose from simple scents like citrus and ginger or lavender and mint, or go with Free & Clear if you prefer unscented.

19. Yaya Maria’s 

Yaya Maria’s makes a natural dish soap that cleans away stuck-on food without the harsh ingredients. It’s vegan, biodegradable, and safe for septic and greywater systems, making it a solid pick for eco-conscious homes. The formula contains more soap than most conventional brands and comes with minimal plastic packaging, helping you cut back on waste while keeping your dishes spotless.

Dishwashing Brands To Avoid

Some popular dish soaps still test on animals or use ingredients that aren’t the best for your health or the environment. If you’re trying to keep your kitchen routine cleaner and more ethical, these are a few to skip:

  • Ajax (Colgate-Palmolive)
  • Dawn (Procter & Gamble)
  • Gain (Procter & Gamble)
  • Joy (Procter & Gamble)
  • Palmolive (Colgate-Palmolive)
  • Sun (Henkel)

These companies may offer familiar products, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe or ethical. There are better, kinder alternatives out there that don’t compromise your values or your well-being.

Wrap Up: Cruelty-Free Dishwashing Soap

I hope this list has given you plenty of ideas for cruelty-free dish soaps to try. The good news is that many of these brands are reasonably priced and easy to find, so you don’t have to spend a lot to make a more thoughtful choice.

For me, it’s worth paying a little extra knowing these products are made with safer ingredients and more sustainable packaging. Small swaps like these add up over time, both for your home and for the planet.

Have you tried any of the cruelty-free dish soaps before? Feel free to leave your thoughts in our comment section below!

Still swapping out your household cleaners? Check out our cruelty-free cleaning series:

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