My HygieneLab Review: Non-Toxic Personal Care for Men

Traditionally, there have not been very many non-toxic personal care brands marketed toward men on the market…

But that is starting to change.

Launched in 2023, HygieneLab is a non-toxic skin & haircare brand for the guys!

I wanted to try it out for myself to see if a) the products actually perform well, and b) the formulations are actually non-toxic.

I enlisted my husband, Keith, for help with this one. Together, we tried out HygieneLab’s shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, face lotion, body lotion, deodorant, and styling gel.

Btw, here are some more non-toxic men’s personal care brands, and here’s a list of organic boxers and briefs.

This guide contains product recommendations and we may receive compensation if you purchase through certain links. As always, we only make recommendations that are genuine!

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Is HygieneLab actually non-toxic?

The short answer is yes.

HygieneLab is free from all the ‘worst’ ingredients, including phthalates, parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, and many others.

They list all of the ingredients transparently on the product pages, and all of their products are EWG Verified.

There are only a few potentially ‘iffy’ ingredients that I’ll point out to you. These are not a big concern to me, especially in the grand scheme of things, but I always try to keep you informed so that YOU can make the best decision for yourself.

Ceteareth-30: Used in the styling gel. This is an ethoxylated ingredient, which could potentially be contaminated with 1,4 dioxane and/or ethylene oxide (which are carcinogenic) due to the manufacturing process. Ethoxylated ingredients are very common and difficult to avoid completely, so I personally just try to be mindful of how many are in the products I use altogether.

Carbomer: Used in the body lotion. It’s a synthetic (petroleum-derived) polymer and can potentially be contaminated with benzene because of manufacturing (although that’s not as much of an issue as it used to be).

Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine: Used in the shampoo, body wash, and face wash. This is another that can potentially contain impurities because of manufacturing. That said, this tends to be a much gentler option than alternatives like SLS .

Essential oils: HygieneLab uses essential oils for scent, just like most clean brands do. (They do have a few totally unscented options as well.) This is fine for most people, but those with sensitivities or allergies can react to essential oils.

Let’s get to our HygieneLab reviews…

The Body Wash

Price: $36 (10 oz) – $48 (16.9 oz)

This is honestly just a nice, functional body wash. It’s got aloe vera, sodium hyaluronate, and glycerin for skin hydration. And instead of harsh surfactants like SLS (which can be irritating for people with sensitive skin or eczema, like my husband), it uses a combination of gentler surfactants to create a soap that works but is easy on the skin.

My Review:

I actually really like this body wash. It has a soft feel to it and it lathers better than a lot of other natural body washes. It’s also pretty concentrated, so a little goes a long way.

The scent is subtle. It’s nice, but not very strong. (Which is good for me since I tend to be sensitive to smells.)

Keith’s Review:

He likes this body wash too. He says the smell is not super strong, but that’s fine with him. He really likes how foamy it is. The man loves a lather.

He also likes how the products come in pump bottles. He prefers that over squeezy kind.

The Shampoo

Price: $36 (10 oz) – $48 (16.9 oz)

My Review:

The shampoo formulation is similar to the body wash, but it’s also got amino acids and a few other ingredients to help smooth hair and hydrate the scalp.

I like this shampoo! It lathers well. Like the body wash, it has a very subtle smell—the scent is Lavender Sands, which is like lavender mixed with an earthly/manly vibe).

Keith’s Review:

He basically said the exact same thing about the shampoo that he did about the body wash: it smells nice, but not very strong, and he likes the amount of lather. He’d been using Plaine Products before this and I asked him which one he likes more. He said overall, he likes them about the same.

The Conditioner

Price: $36 (10 oz)

My Review:

The conditioner is fine. It’s not bad, but I don’t like it quite as much as I like the shampoo and body wash. It just seems like it doesn’t get my hair quite as soft and silky as some of the other conditioners I’ve used, and it takes a little more manual effort to get my tangles out. I do like how it doesn’t weigh my hair down though.

(I’ll give a side note here that hair conditioner is one of those products that is really difficult to make perfectly. Usually, there is at least an ingredient or two that wouldn’t necessarily be considered 100% ‘clean,’ OR the performance is sacrificed to make a totally non-toxic version. I’m sure they will figure it out some day, but as of right now, I do not envy non-toxic haircare brands on this!)

It’s unscented, which you may or may not prefer! I personally don’t really care either way.

Keith’s Review: N/A—he doesn’t use conditioner.

The Face Wash

Price: $25 (5 oz)

My Review:

This is a really good, basic face wash. It’s got a soft texture and moderate lather.

Its ingredient list is relatively minimal, but it does contain a few things that help with anti-aging (like sodium hyaluronate and vitamin C) and skin irritation or dryness (like aloe vera).

I personally prefer ‘soapy’ face washes like this one over oil cleansers, so I would be happy using this one on a regular basis, as both a face wash and a makeup remover.

The face wash is completely unscented, so you don’t have to worry about any potential reactions from essential oils.

Keith’s Review:

He says he likes this face wash but doesn’t have that much to say about it. 😆 He has no complaints and says he’ll keep using it.

The Face Moisturizer

Price: $27 (1.69 oz)

My Review:

Overall, I think this is a great basic, everyday moisturizer. It’s lightweight, which I appreciate for morning/daytime wear. (I cannot stand using oily or thick moisturizers in the morning—I don’t like the way they feel on my face the rest of the day.)

It does contain hyaluronic acid and ceramides to help with anti-aging and strengthening the skin’s barrier, which I appreciate.

This one is also unscented, to it’s definitely suitable for people who are sensitive to smells.

If you have super dry skin, then you might need to enlist the help of a stronger moisturizer for nighttime. I personally would use this one in the morning and then use something stronger at night. (Like this one, for example, is one I’ve been trying out lately.)

Keith’s Review:

Thank goodness I have finally gotten Keith to actually use face moisturizer! He has no complaints about this one and would continue using it.

The Body Lotion

Price: $36 (12 oz)

My Review:

I really like this lotion, actually. The texture is nice—I find it to be a really good mix of being lightweight enough to wear during the day, while at the same time being effective enough to make my skin feel moisturized and soft.

It’s completely unscented/fragrance-free.

Some of the key ingredients include aloe vera, squalane, and glycerin for moisturization.

This is the first product where I’ve found an ‘iffy’ ingredient, which is carbomer. It’s not a huge problem, but a) it’s a synthetic polymer, and b) there’s potential for benzene contamination because of the manufacturing process. It’s not something I’m suuuper concerned about, but worth pointing out.

Keith’s Review:

He likes this lotion as well. He gets very dry skin / mild eczema, so he tries to be good about putting lotion on regularly. But he’s also picky about textures and doesn’t like anything too heavy or greasy. So this one works well for him.

All things considered, we will probably use the rest of this lotion up but then not re-buy it. There are plenty of other body moisturizers that do not use carbomer.

The Deodorant

Price: $26 (75 g)

My Review:

This deodorant is different from a lot of other non-toxic options in that it rubs on completely clear. So you don’t have to worry about it staining your clothes or anything.

It also goes on a lot smoother than some of the other natural deodorants I use, which I appreciate. (Also means no hair-pulling for the guys.)

Like the other scented products, it’s got a nice light fragrance that’s not overpowering. They do have an unscented option as well.

This deodorant is working for me so far. It is aluminum-free, which means it’s not an antiperspirant. I’ve been using natural deodorants for years, so I’m used to it, but if you’re just now making the switch, you might need to give it a little transition time.

Last note: this deo does contain baking soda, which can be irritating for some people’s pits. But it’s pretty far down on the ingredient list, which means there’s not that much in there. So it could still be fine for you, even if you’ve had an issue with baking soda in the past. Might be worth a try, might not be—you know your skin best!

Keith’s Review:

I’ll have to add his review later; he hasn’t tried the deodorant yet.

The Styling Gel

Price: $27(80 g)

Honestly, neither one of us really use this type of styling gel on a regular basis. Keith uses a different kind of pomade, and I only use gel every once in a while.

It’s on the thicker side and it’s clear. From the little I’ve used it, I’d put it in the ‘medium hold’ category.

The only not-great ingredient here is ceteareth-30. This is an ethoxylated ingredient, which could potentially be contaminated with 1,4 dioxane and/or ethylene oxide (which are carcinogenic) because of the manufacturing process. This is the primary ingredient used as a thickener.

This isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, and I will say that it’s quite difficult to find a totally clean hair gel. All in all, this is one of the cleaner formulations. If I used hair gel and this one worked for me, I wouldn’t have a problem re-buying it.

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My pros & cons for HygieneLab

In other words: All things considered, Keith and I would definitely recommend HygieneLab for men looking to reduce toxic chemicals in their personal care routine. 👍

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Why switching to non-toxic personal care products is a good idea for men

Many of the chemicals commonly found in conventional men’s grooming products—things like phthalates (often hidden under “fragrance“), parabens, and synthetic musks—are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (aka EDCs, aka hormone disruptors).

For men specifically, the research is concerning: multiple studies have linked phthalate exposure to lower testosterone levels and reduced sperm quality, with one large meta-analysis finding a 59% decline in total sperm count among men in Western countries over the past several decades. Everyday exposure to toxic chemicals is not the only explanation to this, of course, but it is an important part of the puzzle.

Now, your skin is not absorbing everything you put on it (that’s a widely circulated myth and the truth is more complicated than that). But certain chemicals can and do make it through the skin barrier and into your bloodstream. And when you’re using a body wash, a shampoo, a deodorant, and a styling product every single day, those small exposures add up over time (especially when you add it to all the other exposures like food packaging, air pollution, etc).

The total of all that is what’s referred to as your “toxic load.” It’s the cumulative burden of all the chemicals your body is processing at once. Reducing that load where you can, starting with the products you use daily, is one of the most straightforward things you can do.

Have you tried HygieneLab? What did you like or not like about it? Let us know in the comments!