Sodium Borate

Borax · Sodium Tetraborate · Sodium Borate Decahydrate

CAUTION, The EU classifies it a reproductive toxicant and restricts it in consumer products, yet it’s in Tide and Gain here. The honest part: that classification comes from high doses; what rinses out of your laundry is low. The story is the regulatory gap, not poison in your wash.

What it is

A boron-mineral salt (CAS 1303-96-4) historically used as a laundry builder (water softener), enzyme stabilizer, and mild antimicrobial in liquid detergents.

In this product: Laundry builder, softens hard water and stabilizes enzymes in the detergent formula.

Dose & route, what actually matters

Dermal (skin contact via fabric residue after laundering); trace inhalation from powder forms (less relevant for liquid detergents). Dermal residue on fabric against skin all day is the relevant exposure route for liquid laundry detergents.

EUROPEAN UNION

ECHA classified sodium borate as Reproductive Toxicant Category 1B under EU CLP Regulation (H360FD: May damage fertility; May damage the unborn child) as of 2015. Under REACH, CMR 1B substances are prohibited in EU consumer products unless no safer alternative exists. Sodium borate is listed as a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC). Both Tide Original and Gain Original cannot be sold in their current formulation in the EU.

UNITED STATES

No federal restriction. CPSC does not prohibit borax in consumer laundry products. Confirmed present in both Tide Original and Gain Original liquid sold in the US.

The evidence

ECHA substance information for sodium borate: classified Reproductive Toxicant Category 1B (H360FD) under CLP; listed as SVHC under REACH, effective 2015.

regulatory · 2015 · source

ScienceDirect 2023 review of boron and human reproductive effects: linked high-dose boron exposure to reduced fertility and adverse developmental outcomes, consistent with ECHA’s CMR 1B classification basis.

review · 2023 · source

California Prop 65: Not listed on California Prop 65.

How to avoid it

Choose laundry detergents that disclose their full ingredient list and do not include Sodium Borate, Borax, or Sodium Tetraborate. EU-formulated detergents and most plant-based/clean-label brands omit it.

Where it hides

Tide Original Liquid Laundry Detergent →Gain Original Liquid Laundry Detergent →

Editorial analysis of publicly available regulatory and peer-reviewed sources. Not medical advice. We name our evidence and link it, including when an ingredient is fine.