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Best Non-Toxic Beach Towels

We vetted beach towels against the Welpr Standard and here are our top picks.

Camille May

Cofounder & Product Curator

Olushola M. Awoyemi

Medical Reviewer, PhD

Here's what we look for:

Natural fibers like organic cotton, linen, wool, and hemp
Natural or low-impact dyes, free from azo dyes
Trusted third-party certifications like GOTS & OEKO-TEX
Transparent sourcing, materials, and manufacturing practices

Best Non-Toxic Beach Towels

On Welpr, terms like "non-toxic," "safer," "cleaner," "healthier," and "vetted" are editorial labels based on our own standard for product assessment. They are not guarantees, certifications, or medical claims. Learn more.

Laguna Beach Textile Co. Striped Cabana Beach Towel

Meets the Welpr Standard

Top Pick

Laguna Beach Textile Co.

Striped Cabana Beach Towel

Highlights: Large

9.0

Performance score

Where to buy

Amazon
See price

Pros

Oversized dimensions cover a lounge chair fully and accommodate tall adults comfortably.
Soft, plush feel that's comfortable to lie on for extended periods without leaving skin indentations.
Long-term owners report the towels hold up well over multiple seasons with minimal color fading or fraying.
Colors are vibrant on both sides of the towel.

Cons

Several people received towels with loose threads, pilling, or pulled fibers after minimal use, suggesting inconsistent quality control.
Thickness makes them slow to dry and noticeably heavy when wet.
Absorbency is decent but not exceptional for a premium towel.

At 630 GSM, these towels use roughly twice the cotton of a standard beach towel, so they feel noticeably heavier and denser in hand.
The construction uses a finer thread (about half the thickness of typical beach towel thread) packed at 4x the density, which is what gives the fabric its plush, almost terry-like softness rather than a stiff or scratchy feel.
Founded by a former cabana boy at a five-star Laguna Beach resort who couldn't find resort-quality towels at a reasonable price. The company sources materials from different countries based on quality rather than speed or cost.
If you're shopping for non-toxic beach towels, this one is pure cotton with no synthetic blends, so there's no microfiber or polyester shedding into the water.
A portion of profits goes to the Rainforest Trust and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, and one acre of rainforest is protected from deforestation for every 10 products sold.

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Black & White Lightweight Turkish Beach Towel (2 Pack)

Meets the Welpr Standard

Budget Pick

Black & White

Lightweight Turkish Beach Towel (2 Pack)

Free From: Azo Dye Free, Formaldehyde Free, Heavy Metal Free, Low VOC, PFAS Free, Phthalate Free
Certified: OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Highlights: Money-back guarantee, Large, Quick dry, Sand resistant

8.3

Performance score

Where to buy

Amazon
See price

Pros

Soft right out of the package and stays soft after washing rather than going rough.
Lightweight and dries quickly in the sun or open air, making them easy to pack for beach or pool trips.
The terry stripe texture gives them more heft than a typical thin Turkish towel without making them heavy.
Colors are true to the listing photos, and the overall look gets consistent compliments.

Cons

Absorbency is inconsistent; a couple of people found they don't effectively dry the body even after multiple washes.
One person reported the side seams came undone after the first wash.
On the narrow side, so they may not provide as much coverage as a standard bath towel.

Turkish-style flat weave with a hybrid two-fabric design: alternating stripes of flat woven cotton and traditional loop terry. The terry stripes handle absorption while the flat weave keeps the overall towel thin and packable.
Weighs about 1 lb per towel, so two of them still take up less bag space than a single standard terry beach towel. There's a hang loop for drying on the go.
The fringe is raw and unbleached, meaning the natural cotton color you see isn't dyed white. Vegetable-based dyes are used for the colored portions.
For anyone shopping for non-toxic beach towels, the construction here is straightforward: unbleached cotton, veggie dyes, no chemical finishing treatments.
Black & White Brands is a small, Miami Beach-based company run by a founder who spent years sourcing textiles for major hotel chains and retailers. A portion of each sale goes to ocean cleanup nonprofits like 4Ocean and The Ocean Cleanup.

Meets the Welpr Standard

Delilah Home

Sunset Beach Towel

Free From: Azo Dye Free, Chlorine Free, Flame Retardant Free, Formaldehyde Free, Heavy Metal Free, PFAS Free, Phthalate Free
Certified: GOTS Certified
Highlights: Vegan, Made in EU, Hypoallergenic, 0.0821917808 year warranty, Large, Quick dry, Sand resistant

8.5

Performance score

Where to buy

Delilah Home
See price

Long-staple Turkish cotton is spun into fine yarns and loomed into 2-ply double loops, which is what gives the towel its thick, plush pile and high absorbency.
At 400 gsm, these are noticeably thicker than typical beach towels, so they feel more like a bath towel in terms of cushion and softness on the sand.
The weave is designed to resist holding sand, so it shakes clean more easily than a standard terry beach towel.
Lightweight enough to roll up and fit in a beach bag despite the thickness, and dries relatively quickly for its weight.
Delilah Home positions this as a non-toxic beach towel for people with sensitive skin, eczema, or respiratory concerns; all their textiles are manufactured in Portugal under EU production standards.
The brand donates 10% of profits to charities and ran a 1% for the Planet membership for over two decades.

Meets the Welpr Standard

Boll & Branch

The Beach Towel

Free From: Azo Dye Free, Chlorine Free, Flame Retardant Free, Formaldehyde Free, Heavy Metal Free, Low VOC, PFAS Free, Phthalate Free
Certified: Fair Trade International, GOTS Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100

8.4

Performance score

Where to buy

Boll & Branch
See price

Dual-sided construction: one side is absorbent terry loops for drying off, the other is sheared velour terry that feels velvety against skin. Most beach towels use the same texture on both sides.
Made from long-staple organic Turkish cotton, which Boll & Branch sources directly rather than through third-party suppliers.
Available in jacquard-woven patterns (monogram or cabana stripe) in coastal blues and beiges. The designs are woven into the fabric, not printed on.
If you're shopping for non-toxic beach towels, this one skips the chemical treatments common in conventional cotton textiles, including during the farming and manufacturing stages.

How to Swap to Non-Toxic beach towels:

Here's how to swap to non-toxic beach towels:

What to know about beach towels

Beach towels spend hours pressed against large areas of bare skin, often in the sun and after swimming. That extended skin contact makes the fabric, dyes, and any chemical treatments worth paying attention to.

Kids and babies tend to wrap up in beach towels or use them as blankets, which increases both skin contact and proximity to the face.
Towels used frequently throughout the summer get more total contact time than ones pulled out once or twice a year.

Review the beach towels you already own

Check the labels on your current beach towels for fiber content and any finish or treatment details. Towels made from 100% natural fibers like cotton or linen without synthetic coatings are a good sign.

Look at the care tag for fiber content — if it lists polyester, nylon, or microfiber as the main material, flag that towel for replacement first.
Brightly colored or heavily printed towels are more likely to use synthetic dyes, so prioritize replacing those used most often by kids or on sensitive skin.

Use your current beach towels more safely

If you're not ready to replace your beach towels right away, a few simple steps can reduce what transfers to your skin. This is especially helpful for towels that feel stiff, have a strong chemical smell, or are brand new.

Wash new beach towels at least once before using them — this helps remove residual dyes, finishes, and manufacturing treatments.
If a towel has a noticeable chemical or plastic smell even after washing, reserve it for drying off gear or laying on sand rather than wrapping around bare skin.

Choose cleaner replacements

Look for beach towels made from natural fibers like organic cotton, linen, or hemp. These materials are breathable, durable, and free from synthetic coatings or treatments.

Certifications like GOTS or OEKO-TEX® are a good starting point, but also check that the brand is transparent about how the towel is dyed and finished.
Click the button above to shop Welpr Approved beach towels.

Camille May

Cofounder & Product Curator

Camille May is the co-creator of Welpr and a guide for clean living. After selling her last company in the health food space, she went non-toxic while working to heal an autoimmune condition....

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Olushola M. Awoyemi

Medical Reviewer, PhD

Olushola M. Awoyemi (aka Shola) is a board-certified toxicologist and a research scientist with a PhD in Environmental Toxicology. Shola's long-term ambition is to be recognized as a world-renowned expert in toxicology,...

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