This post is in partnership with Coterie. I only endorse products I believe in.

Do you actually know what diapers are made of? A shocking number of diapers on the market are made with materials and chemicals that could be harmful to your baby's sensitive skin.

So when I asked my community which diapers they thought were the most non-toxic, I decided to put them all to the test. I analyzed Coterie, Huggies Special Delivery, Dyper, Pampers Pure and Millie Moon to see which was free of chlorine, chemicals, fragrances, dyes, and had the safest material composition. As a bonus, I also evaluated absorbency… because what good is a diaper if not absorbent.

But first, WTF are ECF, TCF and PFAS?

Let’s discuss what exactly the buzzwords around bleaching in diaper manufacturing actually mean. ECF, or Elemental Chlorine Free, means the diaper materials were bleached with chlorine dioxide instead of elemental chlorine, which is a chlorine derivative. Trace amounts can remain in these materials as a result. TCF, or Total Chlorine Free, means the diaper was bleached using a process that does not use chlorine or chlorine derivatives. If given the choice, I feel safer going with TCF so that I can be sure chlorine bleaching was not part of the process at all.

Next, let's review what PFAS “Forever Chemicals” are and why they matter. These chemicals are considered toxic to our bodies, potentially remaining for years or decades, and are awful for the environment. The health effects are found to be vast, including reduction in immunity, increased risk of allergies, metabolic and cardiovascular disease, lowered fertility and disrupted thyroid function. Mamavation recently conducted a study detecting PFAS in 15 of 65 diapers it tested, and these results were taken into account below.

Coterie

Chlorine Free: Total chlorine free (TCF) ✅

Chemicals, Fragrances & Dyes: No PFAS “Forever Chemicals” detected. Latex free. Fragrance free. Lotion free. Rubber free. Dye free. Alcohol free. Paraben free. Phthalate free. No brighteners. They are the only brand to release a public Diaper Safety Report.

Materials: Coterie diapers are made with plant-based materials from sustainably managed forests. The backsheet is made from polypropylene, polyester, and polyethylene.

Absorbency: This diaper absorbs liquid instantly and feels incredibly dry. No wonder it's won the Best of Babylist award 3 out of the past 4 years.

Huggies Special Delivery

Chlorine Free: Elemental chlorine free (ECF) ❌

Chemicals, Fragrances & Dyes: Not included in the study of PFAS “Forever Chemicals.” Fragrance free. Paraben free. Lotion free.

Materials: Huggies Special Delivery diapers are made with wood pulp, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, and viscose .

Absorbency: I’d consider this your average diaper in absorbency and wetness.

Dyper

Chlorine Free: Elemental chlorine free (ECF) ❌

Chemicals, Fragrances & Dyes: No PFAS “Forever Chemicals” detected. Latex free. Fragrance free. Lotion free. Paraben free. Phthalate free. Alcohol free.

Materials: Dyper diapers are made with plant-based materials of wood pulp, bamboo viscose and paper. They also contain polypropylene and bioplastic. The diaper is Oeko-Tek certified.

Absorbency: While this diaper absorbs quite quickly, these feel the wettest of all the options.

Pampers Pure

Chlorine Free: Elemental chlorine free (ECF) ❌

Chemicals, Fragrances & Dyes: No PFAS “Forever Chemicals” detected. Latex free. Light Fragrance. Paraben free. Contains lotions. Dyes are used to create the pattern designs on the backsheet.

Materials: Pampers Pure diapers are made with a mix of wood pulp, polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene and other plant-based materials.

Absorbency: These resisted absorbency of liquid, and definitely feel wet.

Millie Moon

Chlorine Free: Elemental chlorine free (ECF) ❌ The brand quietly switched earlier this year from TFC, which caused an uproar on social media from parents whose babies began having reactions.

Chemicals, Fragrances & Dyes: No PFAS “Forever Chemicals” detected. Latex free. Fragrance free. Lotion free. Phthalate free. Dyes are used to create the pattern designs on the backsheet.

Materials: Millie Moon diapers are built with sustainably sourced pulp, polypropylene, and polyethylene. It is certified by Oeko-Tek.

Absorbency: Millie Moon absorbed the same as your average diaper.

My pick for non-toxic diapers is Coterie.

Taking all these criteria into account, plus the brand's extreme transparency with its public Diaper Safety Report, Coterie is my top pick for best non-toxic diaper.

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