Meet the Ingredients in Dreft Detergents

Now, get to know a little more about the ingredients in our Dreft detergents that clean and care for your baby’s clothes. You can also skip ahead to find out exactly what these ingredients in baby detergent do.

What are the Ingredients in Dreft

Dreft Stage 1: Newborn Liquid Detergent

While your bundle of joy is still small and delicate, use Dreft Stage 1: Newborn Liquid Detergent. It’s specifically made with newborn babies in mind with its hypoallergenic formula designed to be tough on stains, while being gentle on your little one’s skin. See what goes into our Dreft Stage 1 ingredients in this table.

Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby Liquid Detergent

As your baby starts to grow up, your pint-sized explorer will get more curious about the world, and all this discovery means more stains. Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby Liquid Detergent is designed to remove 99% of baby food, as well as all those stains picked up on expeditions around the house or beyond. Discover what ingredients go into this Dreft detergent here.

Dreft Free & Gentle Liquid Detergent

While your bundle of joy is still small and delicate, use Dreft Free & Gentle Liquid Detergent. It’s specifically formulated with the family in mind, implementing a hypoallergenic formula that's tough on stains and gentle on skin. See what goes into our Dreft Free & Gentle Detergent ingredients by clicking here.

Dreft Blissfuls In-Wash Scent Booster

Discover what ingredients go into the Dreft Scent Booster here.

What do these Ingredients in Baby Detergent Mean?

If you feel like you need a degree in chemistry to understand what all these ingredients are, then don’t worry! We’re here to help decode them with our quick guide that explains what all the important laundry ingredient terms mean. Your detergent is made up of several components: surfactants, enzymes, builders, and polymer. These work together as a team to leave your baby’s clothes clean and stain-free.

Surfactants

These are the core stain-removal ingredients in the detergent. Surfactants remove grease stains and food residues from fabric, which is especially useful when your little one spills baby food all down that bib!

Enzymes

Enzymes are naturally-occurring proteins that help break stains down into smaller, easier to remove pieces. Washing detergents often include several different enzymes, each working to break down different stain types, from grass stains picked up by your active toddler to messy food stains.

Builders

Builders work with hard-water molecules to enable the surfactants to remove stains. If you have hard water, you’ll need a detergent with builders in the ingredients list.

Polymer

Liquid laundry detergents, like Dreft Stage 1: Newborn and Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby, contain polymer. This ingredient stops the stains from redepositing onto other garments.

Laundry detergents also come with other ingredients, such as perfumes for that fresh, laundry smell. Buffers are used to balance acidity in the water, and suds suppressors prevent excess suds from spoiling your wash.

Removing baby formula stains or grass stains is a daily challenge for parents like you. Luckily, Dreft not only helps you do the laundry, but we're also here for your little one to help ensure soft, huggable fabrics that are gentle on sensitive skin. Make your life even easier with our stain-removal tips for all kinds of baby stains, and know that when your curious baby makes a mess, Dreft is here for the cleanup.