Today: We tested a bunch of products that don’t have added PFAS. Are they any good? Plus …
I’m Wirecutter’s sustainability editor. Our recent PFAS reporting gave me a rare feeling: optimism. |
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| Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter |
I spend a good amount of time worrying about PFAS. (And about microplastics, climate change, and air quality. Call it an occupational hazard.) But lately, when it comes to PFAS in products, I’ve been worrying a little bit less.
Let me back up. PFAS — also known as forever chemicals — are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that excel at repelling water and oils, and preventing smudging, sticking, and soaking through. Chemical companies started applying them to consumer products after World War II. PFAS became pervasive, used in everything from dental floss to popcorn bags.
On the surface, they’ve made life smoother and slicker. But they’re a Trojan horse. They contribute to persistent environmental pollution and have been found in our water, soil, and food — as well as in plants and animals, like ourselves. And PFAS have been linked to a number of health risks, like reduced immune system function, reproductive and developmental changes, and some cancers.
Here’s the worrying-less part: In the past few years — thanks to a combination of consumer demand, pressure from a patchwork of state regulations, and technological advancements — we’ve seen a notable drop in the number of products that contain added PFAS, suggesting that maybe we never needed PFAS in those things at all.
Last week, we explored three areas where PFAS once played a starring role: cookware, makeup, and rain gear.
- And when it comes to staying dry, our style writer Alex Aciman argues that the most exciting development in raincoats could be a throwback to an 80-year-old British textile that’s 100% cotton — and shockingly water resistant.
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Don’t get me wrong, PFAS haven’t disappeared from all products — and we’ll continue to monitor and report on them. Additionally, the existence of PFAS in the environment is a serious, ongoing ecological and public health problem that’s not getting resolved any time soon. But in some major consumer product categories — including ones that once marketed PFAS as indispensable — added PFAS are becoming less and less of a thing. That’s a significant shift from just a few years ago, and it’s giving me hope.
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I was on vacation last week, and I spent the majority of my trip in this breezy cotton button-up. It is a massive shirt — but that’s part of its charm. It paired perfectly with shorts and pants, and worked great as a cover-up. I love it so much that I’m considering doing laundry, just so I can put it back on my body. — Erin Neil, newsletters editor
One last thing: Those ceramic pans did not pass the flip test |
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| Aubrey Patti/NYT Wirecutter |
We fried half a dozen eggs in a row in both ceramic and Teflon pans. By the third round of testing, the eggs had stopped sliding on the ceramic pans.
Here’s the PFAS-free cookware our kitchen expert actually recommends→
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