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How to Check Whether a Product Uses PFAS

A practical guide to checking product disclosures, asking manufacturers about PFAS, and understanding the limits of labels, certifications, and testing.

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To check whether a product uses PFAS, identify the exact model and version, review its ingredient or materials disclosures, and ask the manufacturer whether PFAS are intentionally added to the product or any component. A label’s silence is not proof that PFAS are absent, and a “PFAS-free” claim is only as useful as its stated scope and supporting evidence.

How do I know whether a product contains PFAS?

  1. Identify the exact item. Note the model, shade or formulation, product version, and market where it is sold. Products can change, and disclosures may differ by market.
  2. Check the product’s own disclosures. Read the package, product page, ingredient list, materials list, and any current chemical or product-stewardship information from the manufacturer. Look for “PFAS” as well as relevant specific chemical names.
  3. Ask the manufacturer a precise question. You can write: “Does this exact product, or any of its components, intentionally contain PFAS, including fluoropolymers? If you describe it as PFAS-free, which substances and components does that cover, and what test method or supplier documentation supports the claim?”
  4. Evaluate the response and evidence. A current, product-specific answer with ingredient or material details, supplier documentation, or a test report is more informative than a broad environmental claim. For test results, check what the method detects and its detection limits.
  5. Consult a qualified laboratory if the answer matters and remains uncertain. Ask what analysis fits the particular material and question; a screening result may not identify individual PFAS.
  6. Check rules for your location and product category. Disclosure requirements vary. New Mexico, for example, has adopted requirements for covered products with intentionally added PFAS that are scheduled to phase in beginning in 2027; this is not a nationwide or federal disclosure rule. See New Mexico Environment Department PFAS information.

What names should I look for on a product label?

Cosmetics

Cosmetics are a useful category to check because FDA requires ingredient declarations on retail cosmetic labels and identifies common PFAS ingredients. Its examples include PTFE, perfluorononyl dimethicone, trifluoroacetyl tripeptide-2, tetradecyl aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric urea trifluoroacetate, perfluorohexylethyl triethoxysilane, methyl perfluorobutyl ether, and methyl perfluoroisobutyl ether. Compare a product’s ingredient list with FDA’s PFAS in cosmetics information. This is a category-specific set of examples, not a comprehensive list of every PFAS that could be used in every kind of product.

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FDA reported that 51 PFAS were intentionally added across 1,744 U.S. cosmetic product formulations in cosmetic product listing data as of August 30, 2024. The count describes those submitted listings at that cutoff, not all cosmetics or the current market in 2026. Details are in FDA’s analysis of cosmetic product listing data.

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Other consumer products

For goods without a standardized ingredient label, use the manufacturer’s materials disclosures and ask about components as well as the main product. A coating, treatment, or component may have its own material composition, so a statement about only one part of an item may not answer whether the whole product uses PFAS.

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What is the difference between “no intentionally added PFAS” and “PFAS-free”?

“No intentionally added PFAS” describes how a product was formulated or made; it does not by itself establish that no trace PFAS are present. “Not detected” is a test result tied to a particular method, sample, and detection limit; it does not mean every PFAS was ruled out under every possible method. Ask which meaning the manufacturer intends, what product and components its statement covers, and whether it addresses trace contamination.

A total-fluorine measurement is not a PFAS identification test. FDA cautions that such methods measure fluorine and cannot distinguish PFAS from other fluorine-containing substances. A positive total-fluorine result therefore does not, on its own, show that PFAS were intentionally used or identify which substances are present; a low or negative result should likewise be interpreted only within the method’s scope. See FDA’s explanation of PFAS detection in food-contact applications.

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How should I judge a “PFAS-free” claim or certification?

Ask what the claim covers

Find out whether the claim applies to the exact product, all components, and the version currently being sold. Ask whether it means no intentional addition or also speaks to trace contamination, and request the basis for the claim. The Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides say, “It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product, package, or service is free of, or does not contain or use, a substance.” The rule does not give every “PFAS-free” statement one standardized meaning; the claim’s wording and evidence matter. See 16 CFR § 260.9.

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Understand what Safer Choice does and does not establish

EPA’s voluntary Safer Choice program reviews product ingredients and other criteria, including performance, pH, and packaging; it is not presented as a universal PFAS test certificate or a guarantee of absolute absence. EPA states that PFAS no longer meet its Safer Choice Standard. You can use the Safer Choice product directory to find products that meet program criteria, but do not treat it as a complete database of PFAS-free products. Read EPA’s Safer Choice Standard and criteria and its comparison of Safer Choice with other standards to understand the program’s scope.

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What evidence is most useful when comparing products?

Compare evidence for the same product category rather than relying on broad sustainability language. A useful comparison records the exact product and market, the date of the disclosure, what the manufacturer says about intentional use in the product and its components, and whether it provides ingredient or material information, supplier documentation, or test results. For reported tests, note whether they identify named PFAS or only measure total fluorine, along with the method and detection limits. Also check whether any certification is designed to assess PFAS specifically or evaluates broader chemical and product criteria.

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