Non-Toxic Swaps for Popular Fashion Brands

Image by Levi’s

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We know that starting the switch to non-toxic clothing isn’t always easy. Without a trained eye, you can fall into greenwashing traps, and might even spend extra money on pieces that aren’t any better for you or your health. Plus, you probably have your favorite, go-to fashion brands that (you think) aren’t easy to replace.

That’s why we’re here with easy toxin-free fashion brand swaps. We used publicly available data from Fashion Revolution’s 2023 Transparency Index. We’re going to show you which brands are sloppy about chemicals and dyes, and show you similar brands that are highest rated for chemical management, to make swapping simple.

To determine which brands create safe and non-toxic fashion, we looked at Fashion Revolution’s data on brands that:

• Have a Restricted Substance List (RSL): Having a restricted substance list means a brand knows what substances it doesn’t want to be in the final product, and takes steps to make sure these chemicals don’t appear over a certain amount. For example, Nike’s RSL prohibits more than 1 parts per million (ppm) of lead in adult clothing, and more than 0.2ppm in children’s.
• Have a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL): While the RSL measures the substances in the final product, the MRSL is a list of substances that the brand will tell the manufacturers not to use, and that shouldn’t show up in the wastewater from that facility (which protects the workers, the locals, and the consumer.) 
• Publish the manufacturing and processing facilities in its supply chain: These include every step of textile and garment processing–from ginning and spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and wet processing, tanning, printing, finishing, laundering, and even subcontracting. Brands that don’t know who processes, dyes, tans, and finishes its products leave the door open for facilities that knowingly or carelessly use harmful substances to cut costs. If a brand knows every partner in its supply chain (especially its dyeing and processing facilities) and openly shares them with the public, then you know it’s confident in their practices. Brands that aren’t willing to share this information are more than likely hiding something shady (or simply turning a blind eye.)
• Disclose a time-bound commitment/roadmap to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals: as aligned with international standards such as ZDHC and bluesign. The bluesign label is given to textile manufacturers who are working on safe chemistry practices. It indicates the brand and supplier take safe chemistry seriously, especially when it comes to workers and the environment surrounding dye houses and wet processing facilities. Bluesign supports the ZDHC membership program, which is widely respected as an effective and trustworthy program cleaning up the fashion industry.
• Disclose measurable progress towards eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals: Is the brand making progress to improve chemical management throughout its supply chain? Non-toxicity claims need to be backed up with measurable action.

When combined, these factors show if a brand is taking chemical safety seriously by investing money into managing substances and fostering strong relationships with its suppliers. 

It’s important to note that being ranked highly on the Fashion Transparency Index doesn’t guarantee that all of a brand’s products will be non-toxic or hypoallergenic. Regardless of their chemical management practices, known hormone-disrupting chemicals like BPA can and do show up in products from top brands in this list. This is because these brands still use a lot of synthetic textiles and base their restricted substance lists on what is supposed to be a safe limit for a healthy person without allergies. As Alden noted in her book To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick and How We Can Fight Back, these textile limits are often based on current best practices, or just best guesses. 

If you have skin issues or a chronic illness, please refer to our guide to non-toxic brands, our guide to underwear for sensitive skin, and our guide to synthetic-free workout gear. 

We made this list a bit more approachable by narrowing it down to brands that can be purchased in the United States. If you want to do this for European, Australian, South American, or Asian brands, please feel free to use our framework to do so! We would love it if someone did this in multiple languages like Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, etc. 

Affordable Non-Toxic Fashion Swaps

Dump Walmart and Kmart US and shop at Target. (Check out our guide on non-toxic shopping in box stores for more tips on safely shopping at Target.)

Dump Ross and TJ Maxx and shop at ASOS.

Dump Romwe, SHEIN, PrettyLittleThings, Fashion Nova, and boohoo and shop at H&M. Yes, H&M is slightly more expensive than these other brands. But that’s also why it’s safer. You deserve better.

Dump Aeropostale and shop at Old Navy.

Midrange Non-Toxic Fashion Brand Swaps

Dump Nordstrom and shop Next.

Dump Muji and shop Uniqlo, United Colors of Benetton, or Superdry.

Dump Express and DKNY and shop at Tommy Hilfiger or the Gap.

Dump BCBGMAXAZRIA and shop at Banana Republic.

Dump Chico’s and shop Eileen Fisher. Yes, Eileen is more expensive. But you can shop the upcycled and secondhand section for more budget-friendly yet classic pieces.

Dump American Eagle and shop G-Star Raw and Levi’s.

Dump Urban Outfitters and shop at H&M.

Dump Abercrombie & Fitch and shop Lacoste. (Lacoste does slightly more than Abercrombie.)

Upscale Non-Toxic Fashion Brands Swaps

Dump Aritzia, Max Mara, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, COACH, Tod’s, and Longchamp and shop Marc Jacobs.

Luxury Non-Toxic Fashion Brands Swaps

Dump Burberry and shop Fendi or Louis Vuitton.

Dump Prada and shop Versace.

Dump Chanel and shop Dior, Saint Laurent, or Celine.

Dump Carolina Herrera and shop Ralph Lauren.

Dump Dolce & Gabbana and shop Gucci, Bottega Veneta, or Balenciaga.

Dump Tom Ford and shop Hugo Boss.

Underwear Brands

Dump Jockey and shop Calvin Klein or Hanes.

Dump Savage X Fenty and shop Victoria’s Secret.

Footwear Brands

Dump Reebok and shop Jordan, New Balance, or Brooks Sport.

Dump Skechers and shop Vans or Converse.

Dump Nine West, Doc Martens, DSW, Famous Footwear, and Steve Madden and shop UGG, or try Target and H&M.

This one was tough! The most affordable and accessible places to find heels and sandals don’t have any points for chemical management. This is especially concerning, considering how much you sweat in shoes, which can mingle with chemicals to seep substances into your skin (let alone open sores and blisters that can allow them into your blood.) Aside from UGG (which was one of the top brands on the list) Target and H&M are your best bet.

Workout and Athletic Brands

Dump Russel Athletic and shop Champion.

Dump Fila and shop Puma.

Dump Under Armour, Fanatics, and Fabletics and shop Nike and Adidas.

Dump Gymshark and shop Lululemon.

You might be surprised by this, maybe because you heard that Lululemon is toxic. The blog Mamavation went hard against Lululemon in 2021 and claimed the popular brand was contaminated with PFAS. However, the test Mamavation requested came back with 32 parts per million, which is below the level (about 75 to 100 ppm) to indicate PFAS was intentionally added, which the blog admits. It’s also far below the levels found in clothing that researchers tested and publicized as dangerous, so we’d call this claim clickbait. It could also be that after that terrible publicity, Lululemon instituted these safeguards and improved. (But if you are very worried, try one of these natural-fiber workout brands, or read our eczema correspondent’s review of yoga leggings.) 

Outdoor Gear 

Dump Dick’s Sporting Goods and shop at Decathlon.

Dump Merrell and shop Mammut.

Dump Lands End and LL Bean and shop The North Face and Columbia.

Workwear 

Dump Carhartt and shop Timberland.

Children’s

Dump The Children’s Place and shop at H&M, Target, or the Gap.

The Children’s Place was one of the brands that sourced from Rana Plaza when the garment factory collapsed and killed over 1,100 workers in 2013. Not only has it never atoned for that, but its only chemical management policy is what’s legally required, which we feel is a disappointing and untrustworthy way for a children’s brand to operate. For more non-toxic kid’s options, check out the brands tested and reviewed in our children’s clothing shopping guide.