Ever feel like choosing a diaper is like navigating a labyrinth of trendy words and catchy claims? The industry is swarming with greenwashing and misleading marketing, so I’m here to guide you through this crazy maze. I care a lot about the products I put on my babies, so when I asked my community about the better options they were turning to for diaper changes and what brands were the making the best non toxic diapers, I decided to put all the responses to the test.
Because here’s the thing, just because a diaper has soft packaging and says “clean” doesn’t mean it truly is. I’ve had to do a lot of digging, sifting through ingredient lists, brand promises, and real-life mom reviews to figure out what’s safe for baby skin. Especially when your baby is in diapers 24/7, it matters.
So, I’m ranking these non toxic diapers, Coterie, Huggies Special Delivery, Dyper, Pampers Pure and Millie Moon, based on how green and clean they really are. If you're like me and just want a straight answer about the best diapers without the overwhelm, you're in the right place.
But first, WTF are ECF, TCF and PFAS?
I hear you… acronyms for days. Before we get into the weeds of things like bleaching processes and PFAS, we should define what “non-toxic” even means in the context of diapers.
At its core, a non-toxic diaper is one that avoids the usual list of questionable materials. That means no chlorine bleaching, no added fragrances or lotions, no phthalates, and ideally no harmful adhesives or inks. These are the ingredients that might cause diaper rash and irritation, or worse, long-term exposure concerns when used all day, every day, on your baby's skin.
So when I say “non-toxic,” I’m talking about diapers that do better. Diapers made with materials that are safe for sensitive skin and leave out the harsh extras that just don’t belong there.
Now, 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. And 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 diapers 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. Experts widely recognize these chemicals as toxic to our bodies. And they can stick around for years—or even decades—and do serious damage to the environment. The health effects include a lot of issues, like reduced immunity, a higher 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. I only included non toxic diapers that had no PFAS “Forever Chemicals” detected for this comparison.
My non-toxic diaper checklist
For each diaper brand I reviewed, I looked closely at three things: ingredient safety, eco-friendliness, and real-life performance.
You could also factor in price, design, and availability, and those definitely matter depending on your day-to-day, but for this blog, I wanted to focus on what counts most when it comes to long-term wear and trust.
So here’s what I paid attention to:
- Ingredient safety: Is it free of chlorine, phthalates, fragrances, lotions, and PFAS?
- Eco-friendliness: Does the brand use sustainable materials? Is the diaper compostable or at least responsibly made and focused on its environmental impact?
- Performance: Did it leak? Did it feel soft? Was it something I'd stock up on with confidence?
These three things helped me cut through the noise and figure out which baby diapers deliver on their “clean” claims and which ones are just dressed up in pretty packaging.
Non-toxic diapers, ranked
| Feature | Coterie | Huggies Special Delivery | Dyper | Pampers Pure | Millie Moon |
| Ingredient safety | TCF, fragrance-free, lotion-free, hypoallergenic, no dyes or parabens, no animal testing, publishes safety report | ECF (not TCF), fragrance-free, hypoallergenic | ECF, latex-free, fragrance-free, lotion-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free | ECF, latex-free, fragrance-free, paraben-free, hypoallergenic | ECF (switched from TCF), latex-free, fragrance-free, lotion-free |
| Eco-friendly | 25% plant-based materials, sustainably sourced, reduced packaging waste, strong transparency | 20% plant-based materials, FSC-certified pulp | 55% plant-based (bamboo viscose), optional pickup service, participates in carbon offsetting | Sustainably sourced pulp, plant-based top sheet, made with 100% renewable energy | Minimal sustainability info, only mentions sustainably sourced pulp |
| Absorbency | Absorbs instantly and stays noticeably dry | Average absorbency and wetness protection | Absorbs quickly but feels the wettest | Slow to absorb and feels noticeably wet | Absorbs like an average diaper |
Criteria 1: Ingredient safety
Coterie: Total chlorine free. Latex free. Fragrance free. Lotion free. Rubber free. Dye free. Alcohol free. Paraben free. Phthalate free. Clinically proven hypoallergenic. Dermatologist-tested. No brighteners. No animal testing. They are the only brand to release a public Diaper Safety Report. 5/5
Huggies Special Delivery: Elemental chlorine free (pulp is bleached with chlorine dioxide, not as safe as TCF). Fragrance free. Clinically proven hypoallergenic. 2/5
Dyper: Elemental Chlorine free (pulp is bleached with chlorine dioxide, not as safe as TCF). Latex free. Fragrance free. Lotion free. Paraben free. Phthalate free. 3/5
Pampers Pure: Elemental chlorine free (pulp is bleached with chlorine dioxide, not as safe as TCF). Latex free. Fragrance free. Paraben free. Clinically proven hypoallergenic. 3/5
Millie Moon: Elemental chlorine free (pulp is bleached with chlorine dioxide, not as safe as TCF). It's worth noting the brand quietly switched in 2023 from TFC, which caused an uproar on social media from parents whose babies began having reactions. Latex free. Fragrance free. Lotion free. 3/5
Criteria 2: Eco-friendly
First off here, I must underscore: there is no such thing as a 100% biodegradable diaper.
Coterie: Coterie uses 25% plant-based materials sourced from sustainably managed forests to make their diapers. The brand reduces packaging waste wherever possible. And I appreciate that Coterie is extremely transparent about its processes and materials. So, while not an actual compostable diaper, Coterie is thinking about the environment and planning for a more sustainable diaper future. 3/5
Huggies Special Delivery: Huggies Special Delivery uses 20% plant-based, responsibly sourced materials, including pulp certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.2/5
Dyper: Dyper diapers are made with 55% plant-based ingredients, including bamboo viscose which has made national attention recently for not being as eco-friendly as marketing makes it out to be because of the heavy chemical byproducts that are released during the production of this material. Dyper offers a disposal service for an extra cost which only picks up diapers every two weeks (but I definitely can’t store dirty diapers in my garage for that long 🤢). This special disposal process releases significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, but they do take part in a Carbon Offset program. 4/5
Pampers Pure: Next up, Pampers Pure diapers also use wood pulp from sustainably managed forests, similar to Coterie, and feature a plant-based top sheet layer. The company produces them using 100% certified renewable energy. 2/5
Millie Moon: Millie Moon sadly doesn’t seem to really care about being eco-friendly. The brand provides very little detail on the sustainability of its diapers, aside from mentioning they’re made with sustainably sourced pulp. 1/5
Bonus criteria: Absorbency… because what good are non toxic diapers if they're not ultra absorbent?
Coterie: These were the most absorbent diapers. They absorbed liquid instantly and felt incredibly dry. 5/5
Huggies Special Delivery: I’d consider this your average diaper in absorbency and wetness. 3/5
Dyper: While this diaper absorbs quite quickly, these feel the wettest of all the options. 2/5
Pampers Pure: These resisted absorbency of liquid, and definitely feel wet. 2/5
Millie Moon: Millie Moon absorbed the same as your average diaper. 3/5
My pick for the best non toxic diapers is Coterie.
Your baby spends a lot of time in diapers. That’s why Coterie has become the only diaper I trust to get us from the early newborn days all the way to the start of potty training. They're soft, absorbent, and consistently perform without any weird rashes or leaks.
So grab yourself a subscription to the most non-toxic diaper now. And while you're at it, I highly recommend adding on Coterie wipes — they are best of the best.
Get 20% off your purchase of Coterie Diapers with code: NEWMODERNMOM
And be sure to check out some of my other blogs. Check out my full review of diaper brands you can grab at Whole Foods, tips for removing baby poop stains (not the most glamorous read, but you'll be glad you checked it out), and the essentials you should always pack in your diaper bag. These posts will have you fully covered for all things diapering and beyond!
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