Brand Rating:

Etee

Top Choice

10/10

Score 10/10

The Shifting Gaia rating evaluates brands based on sustainable practices, ingredients and materials, and social responsibility, among others. Below are a few factors influencing this brand's score:

Certifications

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)

FSC Certified

USDA Organic

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See how we rate.

Rated: October 15, 2025
Category: Beauty care
Subcategory: Skincare

Overview:

Sustainability 9.0/10

Non-toxicity 10.0/10

Etee is a Canadian zero-waste personal and home care company that makes plastic-free, biodegradable cleaning, oral care, and personal-care products.

Highlights

• Strong community engagement profile

• Vegan and cruelty-free

Sustainability

score : 9.0/10

Packaging

Etee's products are consistently packaged without plastic. All orders ship in plastic-free, commercially compostable packaging. Many products (dish soap, hand soap, all-purpose cleaner, etc.) come as highly concentrated “pods” or powders that customers dilute at home, which avoids single-use bottles. These pods are made of hemp, algae and natural waxes and are backyard-compostable.

Ingredient Sustainability

Etee's formulations rely overwhelmingly on renewable, plant-based, or mineral-derived ingredients. They emphasize natural surfactants, oils and extracts, and exclude petrochemical inputs. The dish soap concentrate contains only four cleaning agents (alcohol ethoxylate, polyglucoside, amine oxide, and essential oils) and no artificial foaming agents like SLS or parabens.

They do use a few synthetic additives for stability or performance (e.g. phenoxyethanol preservative in cleansers, TAED bleach activator in laundry, FD&C colorant in bar), but even these are chosen for benign environmental profiles. Importantly, Etee switched to USDA-certified organic beeswax and oils to ensure sustainable sourcing, and all their fabric dyes are GOTS-certified organic (free of heavy metals and AZO dyes).

Energy Use and Footprint

By selling ultra-concentrated products, Etee dramatically cuts transportation emissions. All concentrates are hand-mixed in Toronto (for example, the dish soap and all-purpose cleaner are manufactured locally), which may also limit overseas freight. However, Etee does not publish carbon footprint or emission-offset metrics, so claims of a “low carbon footprint” can't be fully verified externally.

Waste Management

Etee's slow-consumption model (pods, bars, refills) means less disposable waste overall. No take-back program is advertised, but nearly all solid waste from their products is either recyclable or compostable. There is little information available regarding waste management in production.

Business Model

Etee's model is geared toward minimizing consumption and waste. Products are provided as concentrates, bars, and refillable systems rather than disposable items. They sell direct-to-consumer online (US and Canada) with a subscription option. On the other hand, subscription selling and new product launches may drive steady consumption, but not in a disposable fashion. Overall Etee's business practices support low-waste, refillable use with consistent availability.

Non-toxicity

score : 10.0/10

Etee formulations are mostly free of known human-health hazards. Their ingredient lists consistently omit parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and other controversial chemicals. Only one preservative (phenoxyethanol) appears in lotions/cleansers, which is low-toxicity and widely used in natural cosmetics. All colorants and fragrances are natural (essential oils, mineral pigments).