Key Takeaways
An honest ranking of 12 toilet paper brands by composition and ingredient transparency, from unbleached bamboo to conventional virgin-pulp brands, by Skid Slayer.
We ranked by four checkable things: fibre source, bleaching, added ingredients, and how openly each brand discloses what is in the roll.
Unbleached bamboo brands rank highest because they skip whitening and rarely add lotions, dyes, or fragrance; PlantPaper leads on published third-party testing.
Most bamboo brands are bleached bright white with an elemental-chlorine-free process, which is cleaner than old bleaching but still an added step.
Conventional virgin-pulp brands often add conditioners, lotion, or fragrance; some publish full ingredient lists, and that transparency counts.
This is Skid Slayer's own guide, so we flag our bias openly and rank on disclosed facts, not invented lab scores.
How did we decide what counts as clean toilet paper?
We ranked these 12 brands on four things you can actually verify: the fibre they use, whether the sheet is bleached, what is added after pulping, and how openly the company discloses its ingredients. We did not run our own lab tests, and we do not invent scores, so every placement rests on published specifications and each brand's own disclosures.
A quick disclosure of our own: this is Skid Slayer's guide, and Skid Slayer is one of the brands on the list. Treat us as an interested party, check the claims yourself, and note where we concede that a competitor leads. The point is not to crown ourselves; it is to show what is genuinely inside a roll so you can choose on facts. Our pillar guide on hidden chemicals in toilet paper explains each ingredient category in more depth if you want the background before the ranking.
Why does fibre type change what is in the sheet?
The fibre a brand starts with shapes almost everything that follows. Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that regrows from the same root system without replanting, and it is tree-free, so bamboo brands begin with a renewable sheet before a single additive is considered. Recycled tissue reuses reclaimed paper, which is resource-smart but can carry trace contaminants from its previous life, including BPA or residual dyes from printed sources. Virgin wood pulp, made from softwood and hardwood trees, produces a strong, soft sheet but starts from freshly cut fibre.
None of these fibres is unsafe, but they set the baseline. Bamboo and virgin pulp are both clean starting points, while recycled fibre trades a lower-impact source for a slightly less predictable ingredient profile. What separates brands within each fibre type is what happens next: whether the sheet is bleached, whether softeners or lotions are added, and whether the company tells you any of it. That is why two 100% bamboo rolls can still rank differently here, and why fibre is only the first of our four criteria rather than the whole story.
Which bamboo and eco brands rank best for what's in them?
Bamboo and tree-free brands take the top eight spots, mostly because they use renewable fibre and add far less to the sheet than conventional tissue. Here is how they compare, with the honest caveats.
1. PlantPaper
PlantPaper ranks first on documentation. It is 100% unbleached bamboo, carries Green Seal certification, and publishes a third-party lab test for PFAS, which is the strongest proof of "what is in it" on this list. It sells only in cases, so the entry cost is high, but on transparency about contents nothing here beats a published PFAS result.
2. Skid Slayer
Our own product is unbleached 3-ply bamboo with no added dyes or fragrance and plastic-free packaging. We rank ourselves second, not first, because PlantPaper publishes more third-party testing than we do. If you want unbleached bamboo with nothing added and flexible pack sizes, our unbleached 3-ply bamboo toilet paper is the pick, and we would rather earn the spot than claim the top on proof we have not published.
3. Betterway
Betterway is 100% bamboo, 3-ply, and offers a genuinely unbleached line alongside a white one. It states its tissue is PFAS-free and adds no lotions. It sells mainly through Amazon in bulk, and pricing moves, but on composition it is a strong, low-additive option, especially if you choose the unbleached version rather than the white.
4. Reel
Reel is 100% bamboo, 3-ply, and bleached bright white with an elemental-chlorine-free process. It adds no dyes, inks, or fragrance, states it is BPA-free, and carries both FSC and B Corp certification. The whitening step is the only reason it sits below the unbleached brands; on additives and transparency it is excellent.
5. Cloud Paper
Cloud Paper is FSC-certified bamboo, usually 3-ply, and bleached white with an elemental-chlorine-free process. It keeps additives minimal and is plastic-free. Its composition is clean and its sourcing is documented; the bleaching step is what separates it from the tan, unbleached brands higher up the list.
6. Who Gives A Crap
Who Gives A Crap is 100% bamboo, 3-ply, and bleached white using chlorine dioxide and hydrogen peroxide. Its bamboo line adds no fragrance or dye, it is transparent about processing, and it even offers a recycled option. It ranks here purely because of the whitening step, not because of anything added to the sheet.
7. Caboo
Caboo's signature tissue is a bamboo and sugarcane blend rather than 100% bamboo, and it is white, produced free of elemental-chlorine bleaching. The bagasse blend is a legitimate, upcycled fibre, and additives are minimal. It ranks below the pure-bamboo brands only because the blend and whitening make its composition slightly less straightforward.
8. Bim Bam Boo
Bim Bam Boo is bamboo, usually 2-ply, and bleached white with a mostly hydrogen-peroxide process. It is the one bamboo brand here that deliberately adds naturally-derived conditioners and a pectin-derived coating for softness. Those additions are plant-based, not synthetic, but "what is in it" is by definition longer than its unbleached peers, so it anchors the bamboo group.
Where do the big conventional brands land?
The four best-known conventional brands rank in the bottom tier, and it is worth being precise about why. They use virgin wood pulp, are bleached white, and more often add softeners, lotion, or fragrance to some lines. Within the group, we ranked by how openly each company discloses its ingredients, since that is the fairest checkable axis. None of this makes them unsafe, and each has real strengths in softness, price, and availability that we are happy to concede.
9. Charmin
Charmin uses softwood and hardwood pulp with a water-based adhesive, and adds conditioners to its Ultra Strong and Ultra Soft lines. Its Ultra Gentle line adds a lotion containing mineral oil, cetearyl alcohol, paraffin wax, and steareth-2. It ranks highest of the conventional brands because it actually publishes a clear ingredient page, and it is genuinely soft; the trade-off is more added to the sheet.
10. Cottonelle
Cottonelle, made by Kimberly-Clark, uses virgin wood pulp and is bleached white, with textured "ripple" lines and some added softeners. Kimberly-Clark publishes an ingredient library, so disclosure is reasonable. It ranks below Charmin only on the balance of additives versus transparency, and it remains a soft, widely available conventional option.
11. Scott
Scott, also Kimberly-Clark, is virgin wood pulp and bleached white. Its Scott 1000 line is notably minimal, a thin 1-ply sheet with few added softeners, which is arguably one of the leaner conventional compositions here. Kimberly-Clark's ingredient library covers it. It lands at 11 mainly on fibre type and bleaching, not on heavy additives, and it wins on price and longevity per roll.
12. Angel Soft
Angel Soft, made by Georgia-Pacific, is virgin wood pulp, bleached white, and positioned as a budget option. It provides less consumer-facing ingredient disclosure than Procter & Gamble or Kimberly-Clark, which is the main reason it ranks last on our transparency axis rather than on anything proven to be in the sheet. It is inexpensive and widely stocked, which is its genuine appeal.
What ingredients should you actually watch for?
The additives worth knowing about are bleaching by-products, optical brighteners, fragrance and dye, lotions, and trace PFAS. Old elemental-chlorine bleaching could form dioxins, which is why modern mills use pulp bleaching methods that are elemental-chlorine-free; unbleached tissue skips the step entirely. Some white tissues also add optical brighteners, dyes that make paper look whiter without cleaning it.
Lotions and softeners are the other common additions. Some premium conventional lines coat the sheet with a lotion built from mineral oil, paraffin wax, and similar emollients to boost the plush feel, and many tissues use conditioners or a small amount of wet-strength and softening agents during manufacturing. None of these is dangerous in normal use, but each one is something added to a sheet that unbleached bamboo simply leaves out. If your goal is the shortest possible ingredient list, every added lotion or conditioner is a point against a roll, however pleasant it feels.
Fragrance and dye are the additives most likely to irritate sensitive skin, and our guide to bleach-free toilet paper explains why fewer additions usually means fewer reactions. On PFAS, a 2023 study in Environmental Science and Technology Letters found trace PFAS in toilet paper across 21 products worldwide, but it did not name brands and did not assess health risk, and levels were low. That is exactly why a brand that publishes its own PFAS test, like PlantPaper, earns a transparency point.
How can you check what is actually in your own roll?
Start with the brand's own ingredient page, because the most reliable signal is a company willing to tell you plainly what is inside. Look for four things: is the fibre bamboo, recycled, or virgin wood pulp; is the sheet unbleached or whitened; does it list added lotion, fragrance, or dye; and is there any third-party certification such as FSC or a published lab test.
Fragrance and dye are the first things to screen out if you have reactive skin, and our explainer on dyes and fragrances in toilet paper covers why. If a brand hides its contents behind words like "soft" and "eco" without a single checkable fact, treat that silence as information. You can also browse our unbleached range to see what a fully disclosed, minimal-additive roll looks like on the label.
The honest verdict
If your priority is the least added to the sheet, unbleached bamboo wins, and PlantPaper and Skid Slayer lead because they skip whitening and add no dyes or fragrance. If you want documented proof, PlantPaper's published PFAS test is the strongest single credential here. The white bamboo brands are close behind and clean; their only mark is the whitening step. Conventional brands are not unsafe, but they use virgin pulp and add more, and their ranking here reflects transparency as much as contents. Whatever you choose, the smartest move is simple: read the ingredient page before you buy, and reward the brands honest enough to publish one. A ranking like this is a starting point, not a verdict on quality, since softness and value matter too. But on the narrow question of what is actually in the sheet, the pattern is consistent: the fewer things a brand adds, and the more openly it tells you, the higher it lands.
FAQ
What is the cleanest toilet paper by ingredients?
Unbleached bamboo tissue is the cleanest by composition, because it skips the whitening step and rarely adds lotion, dye, or fragrance. On this list, PlantPaper and Skid Slayer lead, with PlantPaper ahead on published third-party testing. Cleanest does not mean the others are unsafe; it means fewer things are added to the sheet and the contents are fully disclosed.
Does toilet paper really contain PFAS?
A 2023 study found trace PFAS in toilet paper across 21 products worldwide, but it did not name brands and did not assess health risk, and the levels were low. PFAS can enter tissue through recycled fibre or manufacturing rather than being added on purpose. Brands that publish their own PFAS lab tests give you the clearest reassurance about what is in the roll.
Are conventional brands like Charmin or Cottonelle bad?
No, they are not bad or unsafe. They use virgin wood pulp, are bleached white, and some lines add conditioners, lotion, or fragrance, which is why they rank lower on a "what's in them" axis. Both Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark publish ingredient information, and these brands are genuinely soft and widely available, which are real strengths.
Is bleached white toilet paper unsafe?
No. Modern white tissue is whitened with an elemental-chlorine-free process that avoids the dioxin-forming chemistry of decades ago, so it is not a health hazard. White is a cosmetic choice, not a cleaner or safer one. Unbleached tissue simply skips the step and any optical brighteners, which is why it ranks higher on composition here.
How do I find out what is in my toilet paper?
Check the brand's own ingredient page first. Look for the fibre type, whether it is unbleached or whitened, any added lotion, fragrance, or dye, and third-party certification like FSC or a published lab test. If a brand relies on words like "soft" and "eco" with no checkable facts, treat that lack of disclosure as its own answer.
Resources
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Bleaching of wood pulp: explains elemental-chlorine-free and other whitening methods and how modern bleaching differs from older processes.
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Optical brightener: the fluorescent dyes some white tissues add to look whiter, without making the paper any cleaner.
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PFAS in toilet paper study (ACS): 2023 Environmental Science and Technology Letters research detecting trace PFAS in toilet paper worldwide, without naming brands.
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Forest Stewardship Council: third-party certification that verifies responsible sourcing of forest and bamboo materials.
We make unbleached 3-ply bamboo toilet paper and test it obsessively, jar tests, tear tests and septic-owner feedback included. Mission: cleaner wipes, zero plastic, no skid left behind. More about us.