As you’re planning out a nursery for your newborn or baby on the way, you might be thinking about how you can ensure cleaner indoor air in the room your baby will be spending a whole lot of time in. This guide will help you with one part of that plan: non-toxic dressers, many of which can be easily used as changing tables as well.
What is a Non-Toxic Dresser?
There is a lot to consider in non-toxic furniture, but for the sake of this guide, we’ll focus on only the elements relevant to wood furniture since most dressers are primarily constructed with wood.
You might be thinking: why would I need a wood product to be non-toxic? Isn’t wood a natural material?
This is true, but similar to how natural fabrics like cotton can still be dyed with toxic dyes and treated with chemicals like PFAS (forever chemicals), natural furniture materials can also be stained and finished with harmful substances. Plus, composite wood products are certainly not the same as their solid wood counterparts, which we’ll get into in a moment.
By the way, below I will refer to “VOCs”, which if you haven’t heard this term before, it stands for volatile organic compounds. You can read more about VOCs and the associated health risks from the EPA.
Non-Toxic/Low-Tox Wood
Composite wood, like MDF, is often glued together with glues that can contain high levels of formaldehyde. (Not exactly the kind of toxic, carcinogenic VOC you want your little ones exposed to.)
Given this, I typically recommend looking for solid wood furniture. That said most dressers (even if their constructed with majority solid wood) will often have drawers made of composite wood or use composite wood for other parts of the dresser that aren’t as visible. With that in mind, I would recommend a dresser made with at least partial solid wood and certified non-toxic composite wood elsewhere. When this isn’t possible, look for a certification like GREENGUARD Gold. More on that below.
*Important to note: living trees actually produce formaldehyde, so there are still trace amounts of naturally occurring formaldehyde in even solid wood. But as this study from NC State University explains, most of the emissions of formaldehyde from wood are “produced during hot-pressing of composite panels”, not from the wood itself. In other words: man-made composite wood like plywood, MDF, particle board, and veneers is the much larger concern compared with solid wood.
As with everything in sustainability: there are trade-offs. First off all: the more solid wood that’s used, the more expensive (and heavy!) that dresser is likely to be. And sometimes it could even be cost prohibitive. Additionally, composite wood can sometimes be a more sustainable choice — since it doesn’t waste wood offcuts, but may sacrifice on chemical safety standards.
That’s why I like to provide you with options so you can make the decision that works best for you and your family.
Zero or Low VOC Finishes
Most wood furniture isn’t left raw, but is finished with a wax, oil, lacquer, varnish or other type of finish. Some of these finishes can contain high levels of VOCs.
Look for brands that use low-VOC or zero-VOC finishes. Some brands will even use natural finishes like linseed oil or beeswax.
GREENGUARD Gold Certified
This is the most common non-toxic furniture certification. While this certification does not ensure zero emissions, the GREENGUARD Certification program by UL is a third-party verification that tests for over 10,000 chemical emissions and VOCs to verify low chemical emissions.
Even if a company reports that they use zero-VOC or low-VOC finishes, a GREENGUARD Gold certification is still a smart extra level of protection to look for, since many VOCs can be difficult to measure.
Where to Find Non-Toxic Dressers for A Nursery
Now that we have a foundation for what we are qualifying as a “non-toxic dresser”, let’s dive into our recommendations for where to find these dressers.
Note that some of the following links include affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you choose to purchase through these links. This reader support helps us continue to create more resources for low-tox and sustainable living.
1. Green Cradle
Best for: solid wood dressers and chests
Conscious Qualities: Made in US, Solid Wood, Zero VOC Finish
Price Range: $2,199 – $4,099
Shipping: Ships to continental US; contact for AK, HI, and Canada delivery
If you want top of the line quality without compromise, Green Cradle’s solid wood dressers — made from locally sourced wood and finished with natural linseed oil — would be my pick. You can also add on organic cotton changing pads.
Green Cradle has traditional dressers as well as the sweetest chest + drawer combos with hanging space perfectly sized for your little one. That said, Green Cradle is also the most premium priced option on this list.
2. Oeuf
Best for: European-crafted design with smart nursery features
Conscious Qualities: Made in Europe, Non-Toxic Water-Based Finishes, FSC-Certified Facility
Price Range: $1,245 – $1,695
Shipping: US-wide delivery via Urban Natural
This family-run eco-friendly children’s furniture company prioritizes intelligent design (like baby changing trays that fit Oeuf’s dressers), quality craftsmanship, and sustainability. The brand’s furniture is made in a Forest Stewardship Council-certified facility in Latvia. However, Oeuf does use baltic birch plywood and “eco-MDF” — so the pieces are not solid wood like Green Cradle.
3. Babyletto
Best for: an affordable non-toxic dresser
Conscious Qualities: GREENGUARD Gold Certified Products, Exceeds Anti-Tip Furniture Standards, Sustainably-Sourced Wood
Price Range: $349 – $899
Shipping: Free Delivery in Contiguous US (shipping charges elsewhere priced in cart)
Babyletto offers a more affordable non-toxic dresser options for nurseries. And I think some of the cutest designs! Plus, many of the dressers either include a removable changing tray or are compatible with the brand’s changing trays. That said, as is to be expected with a lower price point, you’ll see more engineered wood — in Babyletto’s case, that’s the drawer fronts and frame. Some reviewers have expressed complaints on the quality, though most products have an above 4.5/5 star-rating.
4. West Elm (GREENGUARD Gold Certified Collection)
Best for: on-trend nursery design with GREENGUARD Gold options
Conscious Qualities: GREENGUARD Gold Certified Options, FSC Certified Wood Options, Some Products Made in Fair Trade Certified
Factories
Price Range: $499 – $1,949
Shipping: Contiguous 48 U.S. States only for large furniture items
Add a touch of West Elm’s signature design sensibility to your little one’s nursery with the retailer’s selection of GREENGUARD Gold Certified dressers and changing tables. The brand has adorable painted playful dressers for nurseries, but I also appreciate that they have mid-century modern and glam modernist nursery dressers that can easily stay in use as your little one grows up.
5. Thuma
Best for: a modular dresser that grows with your family
Conscious Qualities: GREENGUARD Gold Certified Product, Upcycled Solid Wood, Tool-Free Assembly, Highly Rated
Price Range: $1,165 – $3,495
Shipping: U.S. and Canada
With nearly 600 reviews ranking this dresser an average of 4.7/5 stars, Thuma is clearly doing something right with their signature non-toxic dresser. While this dresser isn’t specifically marketed for a nursery, the modular approach makes it easy to start small and configure additional drawers as your baby or family grows later on. Meaning this dresser could last you a lifetime, which I consider a key part of sustainability too. There is also the option to add anti-tipping hardware for safety.
6. Pottery Barn Kids (GREENGUARD Gold Certified Options)
Best for: combined changing tables and dressers
Conscious Qualities: GREENGUARD Gold Certified Options, Some Products Made in Fair Trade Certified Factories
Price Range: $499 – $1,899
Shipping: Contiguous 48 U.S. States only for large furniture items
Pottery Barn — West Elm’s more rustic sister brand — also has a number of options for non-toxic changing tables and nursery dressers. The retailer’s dressers are made with a mix of solid wood and engineered wood, but they do have many GREENGUARD Gold certified dressers. I’d just look at each individual product description to confirm whenever purchasing from a larger retailer with a wide selection.
Questions about Non-Toxic Dressers
Can a wood dresser be “organic”?
Typically we wouldn’t use that term. “Organic” is usually a description of a process or certification for grown fibers like cotton on a changing pad cover, not for wood. If you do see “organic dresser” used to describe the wood itself, treat it as a loose figure of speech rather than a real certification. What you might look for instead on a wood piece is the FSC certification (responsible sourcing) and GREENGUARD Gold (low chemical emissions) or zero VOC finishes.
That said, if the dresser doubles as a changing table, you can check whether the changing pad cover is certified organic cotton. That’s where organic would be a real vetted claim.
Does non-toxic mean solid wood?
Not necessarily. Non-toxic is generally a claim referring to low chemical emissions. A dresser can be made from pressed wood, and still emit low chemical emissions and be called “non-toxic”. So if solid wood is important to you, look for that specifically (for example from Green Cradle listed above), not only “non-toxic.”
What is the safest dresser for a nursery?
There are a lot of variables in a dresser selection, from budget and location to personal priorities and aesthetics. But when it comes to chemical safety, I would personally look for solid wood with a zero VOC natural finish as my top choice. That said, those options are going to be the heaviest and often the most expensive. So if that doesn’t work for your situation, I would look for GREENGUARD Gold certified dressers, ideally with solid wood frames, even if the drawers are composite wood. This certification doesn’t ensure zero emissions, but it does test for low emissions.
More Non-Toxic Furniture Guides:
15 Best Non-Toxic Furniture Brands for a Healthier Home
9 Non-Toxic Bedroom Furniture Companies for a Safer Sleep
7 Best Places for Non-Toxic Nightstands
The post 6 Best Non-Toxic and Safe Dressers and Changing Tables for Nurseries (2026) appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
6 Best Non-Toxic and Safe Dressers and Changing Tables for Nurseries (2026)
When it comes to establishing a “natural” skincare routine there are a few relatively simple swaps you can make: shampoo, skincare, deodorant, makeup and makeup remover — but, there’s one category that most people tend to struggle with and that’s non-toxic and eco-friendly perfume.
In this post, Madeleine of The Wise Consumer dives into what fragrance really is, if we should avoid all perfumed products, and how one goes about selecting an eco-conscious and natural perfume!
What is Fragrance Anyway?
For years I avoided any kind of perfume, eau de toilet, or spray — not because I didn’t love these kinds of products but because I was intentionally trying to avoid anything fragranced. And perfume is, in a word, just that — fragrance.
But what is “fragrance” actually?
As you’re most likely aware, fragrance is used to make things smell better, to mask unwanted odors, or to give something a more pleasant smell. According to the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), “fragrance is a chemical mixture that has a smell or odor…The mixtures that make a fragrance may include natural aromatic raw materials, obtained from plants using distillation, expression, and extraction, or synthetic materials.”
And, fragrance is everywhere!
It’s in our shampoo, our deodorant, candles, cleaning products, laundry detergents, and even in certain menstrual hygiene products. Sometimes, even “unscented” products can contain fragrance. As the FDA explains, this is because the manufacturer may add just enough fragrance to mask the unpleasant smell of other ingredients, without giving the product a noticeable scent. Like, I said, it’s everywhere.
As a whole, the concept of fragrance isn’t bad. In fact, could you imagine how dull life would be without scents? I am the first to admit that I love soaking in a warm eucalyptus or lavender-scented bubble bath. But, as a conscious consumer, I also like to know what ingredients are in my lavender-scented bubble bath, or any cosmetic product I use for that matter.
Unfortunately, when it comes to fragranced products it’s not always clear what chemical mixtures and ingredients go into making these scented products, even “naturally” fragranced products don’t always disclose their ingredients.
Why is the Ingredient “Fragrance” So Opaque?
Generally speaking, any cosmetic product sold to a consumer must display a list of ingredients. But according to the FDA, “under U.S. regulations, fragrance and flavor ingredients can be listed simply as “Fragrance” or “Flavor.”
This is because “fragrance and flavor formulas are complex mixtures of many different natural and synthetic chemical ingredients, and they are the kinds of cosmetic components that are most likely to be ‘trade secrets’”.
In a way, this makes sense. If a company spends hours of research, time, and money formulating the perfect fragrance for their product, they’re not going to want to disclose the list of ingredients that went into making that product.
But, this can be especially problematic for people with skin sensitivities and/or allergies.
If you’re allergic to a certain ingredient being used in the fragranced product but that ingredient isn’t disclosed, then it’s going to be much harder to know which products to avoid.
In these cases, the FDA recommends that you choose products that are fragrance-free, and check the ingredient list carefully.
Easier said than done seeing that, as I mentioned above, even unscented products can contain small amounts of fragrance to mask unpleasant odors!
As Made Safe shares, “without information about what ingredients actually make up a fragrance, it is difficult to understand the true extent to which our health is compromised by fragrance ingredients.”
This can get even more challenging if you’re extremely sensitive to certain fragranced products and their scents. Products such as laundry detergents, shampoos, cleaners, and body splashes make me nauseated and give me headaches. As it turns out I am not alone.
A 2016 study found that approximately 35% of the population studied reported health problems — such as migraine headaches and respiratory difficulties — when exposed to fragranced products.
According to their research, “fragranced consumer products, such as cleaning supplies, air fresheners, and personal care products, are a primary source of indoor air pollutants and personal exposure….even those called green and organic emitted hazardous air pollutants.”
Not to mention that over the years certain fragranced products have been found to contain ingredients such as phthalates, synthetic musks, formaldehyde, and allergens, just to name a few, that have been shown to have negative health impacts, especially on pregnant women.
Are “Natural” Fragrance and Essential Oils Non-Toxic?
Even “natural” extracts, such as essential oils, can trigger allergic reactions and skin sensitivities. In fact, according to the Environmental Working Group, certain essential oils, such as several citrus oil extracts or rose flower oil, which the European Commission has categorized as established allergens, “may trigger an allergic reaction after a few contacts or can cause someone to develop an allergy over a longer period of time”, EWG reports.
Additionally, a 2018 study found that essential oils, similar to certain synthetic fragrances, have also been found to emit numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
According to the report, “some of these VOCs are considered as potentially hazardous under federal regulations. However, essential oils are exempt from disclosure of their ingredients on their label. Thus, the public may lack information on emissions and potential hazards from essential oils.”
What I’ve learned over the course of my research is that sometimes a synthetic ingredient may actually contain fewer allergens than a “natural” ingredient. As discussed in a previous post about non-toxic skincare, the word natural doesn’t always mean better.
And, when it comes to fragrance, the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners shares, “It is important that companies look for safer alternatives where available and report all ingredients in their fragrances, both natural and synthetic, so that consumers are able to avoid potential allergic reactions and other health consequences.” We can all agree on that!
The good news is today more perfume brands are creating products that are not only free of potentially harmful ingredients but that are also eco-friendly, ethically manufactured, and, best of all, provide complete ingredient transparency so consumers can know what they’re buying!
How to Choose a Non-Toxic and Eco-Friendly Perfume
Check the brand’s website for a list of ingredients. What ingredients are being used? Are the ingredients safe? Are they phthalate-free?
If you have any concerns or doubts about a specific ingredient you can always get more information on the EWG Skin Deep Database.
If the brand doesn’t list the ingredients on their website, feel free to contact them directly and ask them to share their list of ingredients with you. If they don’t, it may be time to find an alternative brand.
Ideally, an eco-friendly perfume brand will not only be transparent about its ingredients as well as conform to IFRA guidelines but will also focus on low or zero waste packaging and ethical manufacturing.
To help save you time on your hunt for a sustainably-made non-toxic perfume, check out the brands below!
Editor’s note: this guide includes affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through these particular links. As always, all product and brand selections meet rigorous standards for sustainability and are brands we genuinely love — and that we think you’ll love too!
The Best Eco-Friendly Perfume Brands
1. Henry Rose
This sustainable perfume brand provides an array of fragrances that are EWG and Cradle to Cradle Certified. Henry Rose perfumes are made of a combination of both safe synthetics and natural ingredients and are free of harmful ingredients such as phthalates, formaldehyde, and styrene. This nearly zero waste perfume brand also uses 90% recycled and 100% recyclable packaging.
Conscious Qualities: 100% Ingredient Transparency, EWG-Verified, Cradle to Cradle Certified (Gold), Eco Packaging, Gives Back
Scent types: Clean, Smooth, Spicy, Earthy
Price: $$
2. PHLUR
This certified B-Corp and eco-friendly perfume brand crafts their fragrances using only clean and safe ingredients. In fact, they vow to never use materials listed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened plants so as to ensure that their ingredients are always responsibly sourced. PHLUR is fully transparent about the ingredients used within their fragrances, both botanical and synthetics.
Conscious Qualities: 100% Ingredient Transparency, Gives Back, Recycled Packaging, Made Safe Supporter
Scent Types: Floral, Crisp and Fresh, Spicy
Price: $$
Check it Out: PHLUR | Credo Beauty | Sephora
3. One Seed
One seed makes honest natural and eco-friendly perfume from plants and tells you exactly what’s in it. Fully transparent about their ingredients, One Seed, uses no synthetic ingredients and is packaged in recyclable and reusable materials. In addition to working closely with their suppliers to ensure all their ingredients and materials are sustainably sourced. One Seed also offers customized fragrance blends of their sustainable perfume!
Conscious Qualities: 100% Ingredient Transparency, Only Natural Ingredients (80% Organic), Eco Packaging, Gives Back
Scent Type: Woodsy, Floral, Fresh, Warm
Price: $$
Check it Out: One Seed | Nourished Life
4. Leland Francis
Reviewed by CL&S Editor Elizabeth Joy
Crafted in small batches in Los Angeles with full ingredient transparency, Leland Francis fragrances are made entirely with plant-derived ingredients. Any sprays are blended with organic sugarcane alcohol.
When I read the scent profile of their fragrance, Rowdy Boy — made in collaboration with a queer-owned farm in Oklahoma City — of bergamot, clary sage, sandal wood, and vetiver, I was in. Their fragrances are unisex, but this one is an extrait de parfum which is more intense, so it was a better fit for my husband. We both love the scent!
Conscious Qualities: Cruelty-Free, Ingredient Transparency, 100% Naturally Derived Scent
Scent Type: Woody & Warm, Earthy, Herbal
Price: $$
