Native 'Sulfate Free' Body Wash: The Sulfate Is the Second Ingredient
Sodium Coco-Sulfate sits second on the label of a product marketed as 'Sulfate Free.' It is a sulfate. By chemistry, by INCI convention, and by EWG categorization.
Native Coconut & Vanilla Body Wash markets itself as 'Sulfate Free' on the front of the bottle. The INCI list, second ingredient, reads Sodium Coco-Sulfate. That is a sulfate ester. EWG categorizes it under the Sulfate class. The FDA does not regulate 'Sulfate Free' as a defined cosmetic claim, so the label is legally permissible in the US. The EU's Regulation (EC) 655/2013 requires cosmetic claims to be truthful and non-misleading, 'Sulfate Free' next to a sulfate ingredient would face a harder question there. The rest of the formula is genuinely simple: no synthetic dyes, no parabens, no MIT, no DMDM hydantoin. The chemistry is low concern. The label is what is not.
The label, flagged
Water (Aqua)
Sodium Coco-SulfateACTUALLY FINE
The ingredient is fine. The problem is the front of the bottle: Native says 'Sulfate Free' while this sulfate sits second on the label. The lie is the story, not the chemistry.
a sulfate, contradicts the 'Sulfate Free' front-label claim
Cocamidopropyl BetaineCAUTION
Named Allergen of the Year in 2004, but the molecule isn't the culprit. A manufacturing impurity (DMAPA) is what sensitizes people.
Glycerin
Sodium Chloride
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Lactic Acid
Fragrance (Parfum)CAUTION
Not a hazard in itself, but a legal black box. “Fragrance” can shield ingredients (including EU-banned ones) that you are never told are there.
Citric Acid
Source: Target.com TCIN A-80166009. View label. Tap any flagged ingredient for the evidence.
What to use instead
The fix isn’t complicated: a fragrance-free or fully-disclosed alternative, with the ingredients flagged on this label designed out, closes these gaps at once. We pick the ones worth your money.
See cleaner body wash picks →Editorial analysis of the publicly listed label and regulatory/peer-reviewed sources. Not medical advice, not affiliated with the brand. Verdicts are evidence-graded, we flag what the data flags and clear what it clears.