1. Plant sponges: 4 of 7 name plastic in the scrub side
We re-read 7 scrub sponges sold as plant-based, from 4 brands: AIRNEX, Full Circle, Blueland and LAIF. 4 of the 7 name recycled plastic or recycled polyester in the scrub side. The 3 that are plant-only are all sewn together with cotton thread, not glued.
What the 4 say
AIRNEX’s Amazon title calls it a “Plant-Based Cellulose & Coconut Scrubber”, with the material line “100% Plants & Recycled Fibers” Source 2. Its own materials page explains the scrub side:
“The scourer layer is made from a combination of natural and recycled materials, utilizing recycled polyester to bind durable coconut fibers.”
Full Circle makes four scrubber sponges. Its own product pages list the materials of three of them as:
“Agave fibers, cotton, and recycled water bottles (rPET)”
“Walnut shells, cellulose, and recycled plastic”
“Cellulose, Certified Recycled Plastic & Natural Coconut Husk”
What the 3 plant-only ones say
“Natural loofah, plant-based cellulose, cotton stitching — A completely plastic-free construction.”
“Hand-sewn with cotton thread for strength, instead of plastic glues or adhesives”
“Plastic-Free & Glue-Free … plant-based loofah, cellulose, and cotton stitching”
How we counted: a hand-picked sample of plant-marketed scrub sponges, not a scan of the whole market, re-read on each maker’s page or listing on 21 Oct 2026. Both AIRNEX and Full Circle disclose the recycled plastic openly.
What to look for: Read past the front label to the material line. If you want no plastic at all, look for loofah or plant fiber sewn on with cotton thread, and “plastic-free” in the maker’s own words.
2. Unbleached parchment: 36 of 37 listings say nothing about PFAS
We read the first 3 pages of Amazon results for “unbleached parchment paper”, leaving out sponsored results and keeping well-rated listings with more than a thousand ratings each. That gave 42 listings: 37 parchment rolls or sheets and 5 air-fryer liners.
Of the 37 parchment listings, 36 make no PFAS statement in the title, the bullets or the description. The 1 that does says “these air fryer liners are BPA-Free & PFAs-Free” Source 9. 4 of the 5 air-fryer liners say PFAS-free. None of the 42 cites a test or a certification.
Brands whose listing makes no statement either way include Reynolds, If You Care, Katbite, SMARTAKE, Baker’s Signature, Amazon Basics and 365 by Whole Foods. If You Care’s own parchment page makes no PFAS statement either Source 10.
No statement doesn’t mean the paper contains PFAS. It means the listing doesn’t say.
A side note on “unbleached”: Reynolds’ own page for its unbleached rolls says “Paper contains 75% unbleached fibers” Source 11.
How we counted: every listing on those 3 pages on 21 Oct 2026, reading the title, the bullets and the description for any PFAS statement.
What to look for: If PFAS matters to you, look for a PFAS-free statement in the maker’s own words, ideally with a named test or certification behind it. If it isn’t there, the maker is the one to ask.
3. Fragrance-free dish soap: 3 of 8 list ethoxylated ingredients
We compared 8 distinct fragrance-free or unscented liquid dish-soap formulas, leaving out dishwasher products, castile soaps and anything not fragrance-free. 3 list ethoxylated ingredients:
“Sodium Laureth Sulfate … Poloxamer 124”
“Deceth-8, C9-11 Pareth-8 … Pei-14 PEG-24/PPG-16 Copolymer”
“Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate”
5 list none: Seventh Generation Free & Clear, ATTITUDE Unscented and Baby (the same formula), Dapple Fragrance Free, Ginger Lily Farms Fragrance Free and Babyganics Fragrance Free.
Why it’s worth knowing: an ethoxylated ingredient can carry trace 1,4-dioxane, which isn’t the same as containing it. New York caps 1,4-dioxane at 1 ppm in household cleansing products from Dec 31, 2023 Source 15. None of the 8 makers publishes a dioxane test.
How we counted: the ingredient list each maker publishes, read on 21 Oct 2026. The lists for Palmolive and Dawn are from their Amazon listings. Palmolive is one of our dish-soap picks, and its swap page notes the sodium laureth sulfate.
What to look for: If you’d rather skip ethoxylated ingredients, scan the list for words like the ones above: “laureth”, “lauryl ether”, “pareth”, “deceth”, “PEG” and “poloxamer”.
4. Shared ratings: one count, several products
Across these searches, 239 listings had more than a thousand ratings. Amazon pools ratings across the variants on one listing, so a scent, a size or a model can show a count it shares with its siblings. Same-brand examples, as shown on 21 Oct 2026:
| Brand | Versions | Same count |
|---|---|---|
| Seventh Generation dish liquid | Clementine Zest; Free & Clear | 17,614 |
| ATTITUDE dish soap refill | Unscented; Citrus Zest | 9,717 |
| Dawn dish soap | Free & Clear; Lemon | 1,526 |
| Waterdrop under-sink systems | 10UA; 10UA 2-filter; UL12A; 10UAW-UF | 14,358 |
| Waterdrop under-sink systems | 15UA; UA-5Y | 8,786 |
So a fragrance-free shopper may be reading ratings earned partly by the scented version.
What to look for: Read a few written reviews that name the version you’re buying, rather than leaning on the overall count.
