Branch Basics vs Mrs. Meyer’s (Tested and Compared)

I tested out both Branch Basics Concentrate and Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap.

Branch Basics Concentrate can be used as a dish soap, all-purpose cleaner, and even as a laundry soap.

I will compare them on their ingredients, uses, effectiveness, cost, eco-friendly specs, and more.

This article contains affiliate links, upon purchase I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Overview:

• Price: Similar in price at the all-purpose dilution.
• Bio-Based: Branch Basics is 100% bio-based, Mrs. Meyer’s is 88% bio-based, both are biodegradable
• Clean ingredients: Branch Basics also has a “cleaner” ingredient list based on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) with no ingredients that are of concern to me. Mrs. Meyer’s uses the more controversial SLS and Polysorbate 20 (which has the potential to be contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, though they are within Prop 65 safety limits), and they use isothiazolinone preservatives (which some people are allergic to).
• Fragrance: Mrs. Meyer’s uses both plant-derived fragrance ingredients and synthetic fragrance ingredients in all options. Branch Basics does not have fragrance.

My top pick is Branch Basics because it’s more versatile, has “cleaner” ingredients based on EWG, and no fragrance (though you could add essential oils). They are similar in price per fluid ounce.

Comparison Table:

	Branch Basics Concentrate	Mrs. Meyer’s
Cost	Cleaning: About $4.89 for 33 ounces of All Purpose dilution (which includes dishes) (based on price of $55 from Green Design Center) About $11.41 for 35 ounces of Bathroom dilution (Based on Price of $55 from Green Design Center) Averages out to: $16.30 for 68 ounces, 24 cents per fluid ounce (Based on the price from Green Design Center) Laundry: 86 cents per load. (Based on the price from Green Design Center.	$4.99 per 16 fl oz on their website and $10.99 for the 48 oz refill size. That’s $0.21/fluid ounce for the refill size with the discount on their website. Same or similar price if you buy it from Amazon.
Shipping	Free shipping from GDC or Amazon.	Free shipping with Amazon prime.
Bio-Based	100% bio-based	USDA Certified Biobased Product, 88% plant-based
Biodegradable	Yes	Yes
EWG Ratings	One ingredient with a B rating and one with a D rating.	7/12 of the ingredients in the main part (the soap) have a C or D rating. All 12 of the fragrance ingredients (in Mint) have a C or D rating.
Scent	Soapy, no fragrance	They don’t have unscented dish soap, their scents are fragranced with a mix of natural and synthetic fragrances.
Uses	To clean grime, dirt, and oils on all surfaces of the home from floors to dishes to laundry.	Dishes, countertops, and general cleaning.
Packaging	One box was the packaging and shipping box in one. The bottle of Concentrate is plastic. They sell either glass or plastic cleaning bottles.	Recyclable plastic bottle #2 plastic, came in a simple box.
Certifications	Certified Made Safe EWG-Verified Cruelty-Free Verified Independently tested as a non-skin or eye irritant	Leaping Bunny certified USDA Certified Biobased

Branch Basics

Ingredients:

Branch Basics Concentrate is their all-purpose cleaner and it is made from:

• Purified Water
• Decyl Glucoside – a surfactant naturally derived from coconut and/or corn, free of impurities like ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. B rating on EWG for cleaning products.
• Organic Chamomile Flower Extract – organic flower extract with Allergen (IFRA) Certifications, which certifies it is nonallergenic and is not a fragrance. C rating on EWG.
• Coco-Glucoside – a surfactant naturally derived from coconut, free of impurities like ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. No rating on EWG.
• Sodium Citrate – a plant-derived, biodegradable sodium salt that acts as a water softener. A rating on EWG.
• Sodium Bicarbonate – baking soda. A rating on EWG.
• Sodium Phytate – a natural chelator used as a preservative. D rating on EWG cleaning products, as it can cause algae blooms. But in this low of a concentration it is not likely to be a concern and after going through a municipal sewage system it will be essentially removed there.

It’s 100% bio-based and biodegradable.

Sniff test:

Branch Basics Concentrate has a soapy smell, it reminds me of most natural brands of laundry soap. It does not have a fragrance component but it is not odorless.

Where you can use it:

Branch Basics Concentrate is an all-purpose cleaner which can be used in different concentrations on surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom, to wash dishes, to wash clothes, to clean carpeting, wash most types of floors, wash hands (and even as a body wash), to clean stainless steel, to clean glass and mirrors, and more.

This cleans everything in the house where you need a surfactant (and if you like you can add their Oxygen Boost to laundry).

Cost:

It’s $4.89 for 33 ounces of All-Purpose Cleaner dilution (not including buying the spray bottle). (Based on prices from Green Design Center).

It’s $11.41 for 35 ounces of Bathroom Cleaner (not including buying the spray bottle). (Based on prices from Green Design Center).

They say the bottle which costs $55 cleans 64 loads of laundry, that is 86 cents per load. (Based on prices from Green Design Center).

• All-Purpose Bottle (1 part concentrate: 11 parts water) – Everyday cleaning including countertops, dishes, and stains.
• Bathroom Bottle (1 part concentrate: 5 parts water) – Tackles tiles, toilets, grout, sinks, and showers.
• Streak-Free Bottle (1 drop concentrate: 24 oz distilled water) – For mirrors, windows, and glass.
• Foaming Wash Bottle (1 part concentrate: 4 parts water) – For handwashing, dishes, pets, and bubble bath.
• Laundry Bottle (1 part concentrate: 2 parts water – use one tablespoon per load) – Works for standard and HE washing machines.

You can buy their plastic or glass bottles.

Effectiveness:

The all-purpose dilution is fairly light, it took a few passes to clean up sticky food residue but it’s overall a very good multi-purpose cleaner.

One large drop of coconut oil, plus one large drop of castor oil, plus one capsule of vitamin E cleaned up easily with 3 sprays and just a few passes.

Minimal effect on sticker residue. Cleaned up dried toothpaste scum easily.

The bathroom solution has substantially more cleaning power.

I liked it a lot as a laundry soap, it worked better than the previous products I had tried.

Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap

This is based on SLS and additional plant-based surfactants.

Mrs. Meyer’s uses both plant-derived fragrance ingredients and synthetic fragrance ingredients. (The fragrances are phthalate-free).

They use isothiazolinone preservatives.

It comes in the following scents: Acorn Spice, Apple Cider, Basil, Bluebell, Compassion Flower, Daisy, Dandelion, Eucalyptus, Fall Leaves, Fresh Cut Grass, Geranium, Honeysuckle, Iowa Pine, Lavender, Lemon Verbena.

Controversial Ingredients:

1. SLS or Sodium lauryl sulfate – a plant-derived cleaning agent that is a skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritant and toxic to aquatic organisms, according to the David Suzuki Institute and the WHO. Skin irritation is mitigated by regulating the maximum percentage that can be used in a product, which depends on how long the contact time will be, explains the University of Queensland.

2. 1,4-Dioxane contaminated ingredients – ingredients that can be contaminated with 1,4-Dioxane include Polysorbate 20. However, if there is no Proposition 65 warning (which my bottle did not contain) this means if there is 1,4-dioxane it is under 10 parts per million which is considered safe by Prop 65.

3. Isothiazolinones – a class of preservatives that has a D rating on the EWG due to toxicity to aquatic life and issues of skin sensitivity/allergies (EWG).

4. Synthetic fragrance – Mrs. Meyer’s uses different synthetic fragrance chemicals depending on which scent you select. The Mint scent contains tetrahydrolinalool (C rating on EWG), Ethylene Brassylate (C rating on EWG), Dihydromyrcenol (C rating on EWG), and Amyl Cinnamal (D rating on EWG) which have poor ratings on EWG due to skin allergies & irritation and/or developmental and reproductive toxicity.

Ingredients for Mrs. Meyer’s Mint Scent Dish Soap*:

• Water
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (plant-derived cleaning ingredient) – C rating on EWG
• Lauryl Glucoside (sugar-derived surfactant) – B rating on EWG
• Polysorbate 20 (plant-based emulsifier) – C rating on EWG
• Lauramine Oxide (plant-derived surfactant) – C rating on EWG
• Glycerin (plant-based or synthetic foam stabilizer) – A rating on EWG
• Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate (non-EDTA chelating agent) – C rating on EWG
• Sodium Chloride (mineral salt) – A rating on EWG
• Citric Acid (naturally derived pH adjuster) – A rating on EWG
• Aloe Barbadensis, Extract (plant extract from aloe vera) – C rating on EWG
• Methylisothiazolinone (synthetic preservative) – D rating on EWG
• Benzisothiazolinone (synthetic preservative) – C rating on EWG
• Fragrance:
  • Carvone (plant-derived fragrance ingredient) – C rating on EWG
  • Linalyl Acetate (plant-derived fragrance ingredient) – C rating on EWG
  • 3-Octanol, 3,7-Dimethyl (tetrahydrolinalool) (synthetic fragrance ingredient) – C rating on EWG
  • Dipentene/D-limonene (plant-derived fragrance ingredient) – C rating no EWG
  • Ethylene Brassylate (synthetic fragrance ingredient) – C rating on EWG
  • 2,6-Dimethyl-7-Octen-2-Ol (Dihydromyrcenol) (synthetic fragrance ingredient) – C rating on EWG
  • Hexyl Cinnamal (plant-derived fragrance ingredient) – C rating on EWG
  • Citral (plant-derived fragrance ingredient) – C rating on EWG
  • Linalool (plant-derived fragrance ingredient) – C rating on EWG
  • Benzyl Benzoate (plant-derived component of fragrance) – D rating on EWG
  • Amyl Cinnamal (synthetic fragrance ingredient) – D rating on EWG
  • Limonene (plant-derived fragrance ingredient) – C rating on EWG

*Ingredients based on the website, ingredients on the bottle can differ.

Sniff test:

I have used the Mint, Lilac, and Peony scents (I bought this three-pack is great if you want to try all three scents).

The scents are certainly strong compared to other brands that use only essential oils and to Branch Basics which has no fragrance.

I can tell that Mrs. Meyer’s has a synthetic fragrance in it since that changes the smell and gives it more of a bite.

If you like a fairly strong scented dish soap that is stronger than an all-natural version then you will like this.

If you are sensitive to fragrance it’s very unlikely you will like this.

Where you can use it:

I used it on dishes, stone countertops, tile backsplash, melamine cupboards and to wash my hands.

I did not like it as a hand soap because the scent was too strong for me, I don’t like to eat with scented hands.

Like most dish soaps you can also dilute it to use as general cleaning for floors, etc.

Cost:

$0.21/fluid ounce for the refill size with the discount.

Effectiveness:

Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap did foam up a lot and this pea-sized amount was plenty to clean this one dirty glass. It also left the glass squeaky clean.

It works just as well to clean up oily messes as Branch Basics.