⭐ Branch Basics – Fragrance-free dishwasher tablets with no plastic film. Branch Basics says they are held together by a plant-based binder; its ingredient list does not say which ingredient that is.
🍃 Clean (as listed by Branch Basics, 11 ingredients): Sodium carbonate, also called washing soda (a mineral cleaner), sodium percarbonate (washing soda combined with hydrogen peroxide; lifts stains with oxygen), citric acid (fights hard-water spots), sodium citrate (softens water), poly(itaconic acid-co-AMPS) sodium salt (softens water and keeps residue from building up), sodium gluconate (grabs hard-water minerals), protease and amylase (enzymes that break down protein and starchy food), sodium metasilicate (mineral; controls pH), sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (the soap part; Branch Basics calls it plant-based), and potassium caprylate (a salt made from a fatty acid; Branch Basics lists its job as “biofilm remover”). Branch Basics does not publish where most of these ingredients come from.
💚 Progress Over Perfection: One ingredient is partly made in a lab. Poly(itaconic acid-co-AMPS) is built from two pieces: itaconic acid, which is usually made by fermentation, and AMPS, which is made in a lab. Branch Basics groups it under “Mineral Based Ingredients” on its product page, but it is not a mineral.
💧 Low-Impact: EWG Verified (we checked on EWG’s website). Branch Basics says the formula is made without fragrance, essential oils, sulfates, chlorine and phthalates. It does not say what the pouch is made of, so we cannot yet confirm the tablets never sit in plastic.