Key Takeaways
PFAS are a family of roughly 12,000 synthetic "forever chemicals" used to make products water-, stain-, and grease-resistant. They persist in the environment and in the human body, and the EPA has linked them to cancer, immune dysfunction, hormone disruption, and developmental harm (EPA).
They're showing up in disposable pads, liners, and incontinence products. Independent lab testing commissioned by Mamavation and Environmental Health News found 48% of sanitary pads, incontinence pads, and panty liners tested positive for indicators of PFAS (TIME).
"Organic," "natural," and "non-toxic" labels are not a guarantee. In one round of testing, 13 of 22 products that tested positive for PFAS were marketed with exactly those claims (EHN).
PFAS are nearly impossible to avoid completely. At least 97% of Americans have detectable PFAS in their blood (EESI), but the goal is reducing exposure, especially from products that sit against sensitive skin for hours at a time.
Attn: Grace products are designed without added PFAS. They manufacture in European factories that comply with EU chemical safety rules, including restrictions on fluorinated compounds, and submit their products to independent third-party testing. They hold certifications including Dermatest® Excellent, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 (fibers tested against a list of regulated substances including certain fluorinated compounds), FSC® certified tree pulp, and Certified B Corporation™
PFAS (the so-called "forever chemicals") have been found in everything from drinking water to raincoats to makeup. Over the last few years, independent lab testing has added another category to the list: disposable pads and liners, including incontinence pads. Here's what the research actually says, what it means for your body, and how to shop with more confidence in an industry that isn't required to tell you what's inside.
What Are PFAS, Exactly?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a class of about 12,000 synthetic chemicals first developed in the 1940s. They've been used for decades to make non-stick cookware, waterproof jackets, grease-resistant food packaging, stain-resistant carpet, and firefighting foam (TIME).
They're called "forever chemicals" for a reason. The carbon-fluorine bond that makes PFAS so effective at repelling water and stains is also one of the strongest in organic chemistry, which means these molecules don't meaningfully break down in soil, in water, or in our bodies. According to the CDC, the half-life of PFOS (one of the two most-studied PFAS) is roughly 4.8 years in the human body. PFOA's half-life is about 3.5 years (TIME).
In April 2024, the EPA finalized the first-ever legally enforceable national drinking water limits for six PFAS chemicals, citing risks including cancer, liver and immune damage, and developmental harm to infants and children (NPR). The agency set the health-based safe threshold for PFOA at just 0.004 parts per trillion, an intentionally conservative number that reflects how biologically persistent these chemicals are (TIME).
Why Are PFAS Being Added to Pads and Liners in the First Place?
Absorbent hygiene products face a specific engineering problem: they need to pull liquid away from the skin, hold it, and keep the top layer feeling dry. PFAS are one of the older, cheaper ways to solve that problem. Because they repel water and resist stains, small amounts can be applied to top sheets or wrappers to speed up wicking, reduce leaks, or make packaging more liquid-resistant (ACS).
PFAS can also end up in a finished pad or liner unintentionally. Manufacturing inputs such as pulp, synthetic fibers, adhesives, even the water used on the factory floor, can carry PFAS contamination from earlier in the supply chain. That's why a brand can technically have a "no intentionally added PFAS" policy and still see trace fluorine show up on a lab report (NYT Wirecutter).
This distinction, intentionally added vs. inadvertently present, matters and it's the distinction reputable brands and regulators are now being pushed to disclose.
What the Testing Actually Found
Most of what the public knows about PFAS in feminine and incontinence care comes from a few independent investigations:
Mamavation + Environmental Health News (2020–2022): Of 46 sanitary pads, panty liners, and incontinence pads tested at an EPA-certified lab, 22 products contained detectable organic fluorine, a presumptive indicator that PFAS are present. Fluorine levels ranged from 11 ppm to 154 ppm (EHN). Across all feminine care categories tested, 48% of sanitary pads, incontinence pads, and panty liners contained PFAS indicators, along with 22% of tampons and 65% of period underwear (TIME).
"Natural" labels weren't a safeguard. In one analysis, 13 of the 22 products that tested positive were specifically advertised as "organic," "natural," "non-toxic," "sustainable," or using "no harmful chemicals" (TIME).
NYT Wirecutter (2023): Independent testing of 44 period and incontinence products found PFAS indicators in many items, including some marketed as PFAS-free (NYT Wirecutter).
Peer-reviewed research (2025): A study published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters by researchers at Notre Dame analyzed 19 reusable period and incontinence products and found that one-third of period underwear and one-quarter of reusable period pads contained fluorine at levels consistent with intentional PFAS addition, with one product reaching 77,000 ppm (ACS).
The through-line: PFAS aren't confined to one brand, one category, or one price point. They are a supply-chain and industry-practice problem.
Should I Be Worried About PFAS in My Incontinence Pads?
This is where we want to be careful because women deserve honest information, not scare tactics.
Most PFAS research has focused on ingestion (contaminated drinking water, food packaging), and that remains the most-studied exposure route (EPA). Dermal (skin) absorption is a newer and still-emerging area of study. Recent in-vitro research published in 2024–2025 suggests that certain short-chain PFAS can cross the human skin barrier under experimental conditions, while longer-chain PFAS tend to stay on the surface over the same time period (PubMed, NIH/PMC). More research is needed to understand real-world risk.
However, two things are worth sitting with:
Incontinence pads sit against highly vascularized tissue for hours at a time. That's not the same exposure profile as a jacket or a carpet. Researchers interviewed for TIME flagged vaginal and vulvar tissue as potentially more vulnerable to absorption than other skin (TIME).
PFAS bioaccumulate. Any single exposure is tiny. It's the repeated, low-dose, long-term nature of daily product use that concerns public health researchers — and it's the same logic that drove the EPA to set its drinking water limits in parts per trillion (EPA).
The honest answer: the science is still being written. But if you have the option to choose products designed without added PFAS, that's a simple, low-effort way to reduce one input to your lifetime exposure.
Why You Can't Just "Read the Label" to Avoid PFAS
Here's the catch that frustrates a lot of consumers: there is no U.S. federal requirement for manufacturers to disclose PFAS in pads, liners, or incontinence products. Fluorinated compounds aren't listed on the package. Marketing language like "natural" and "clean" is not regulated in any standardized way (TIME).
That means the burden falls on the consumer or on brands willing to hold themselves to a higher standard than U.S. law requires.
Where Attn: Grace Stands
Attn: Grace was built because there was a gap in the market on what a bladder care product could be; Skin-Safe™, plant-based, beautifully designed, and made without the petroleum-based plastics, bleach, synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, and added PFAS that can be common across conventional pad manufacturing. Here's how they approach the PFAS question:
No. Attn: Grace products are designed without added PFAS, as verified by independent third-party testing. Their pads and liners are manufactured in European factories that comply with EU chemical safety rules, including restrictions on fluorinated compounds. Third-party certifications include Dermatest® Excellent for sensitive skin, and OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 (which tests fibers against a list of regulated substances, including certain fluorinated compounds).
Manufactured in Europe, to EU standards. Their pads and liners are made in European factories that comply with EU chemical safety regulations, which are among the most stringent in the world. As a voluntary standard, Attn: Grace formulates without more than 1,700 chemicals that EU regulators have banned or restricted in personal care which is a benchmark the brand applies to its products even though absorbent hygiene products are not legally required to meet those standards
Third-party validated. They are a Certified B Corporation™ (a company-level certification recognizing social and environmental performance) and their pads and liners earned a Dermatest® Excellent rating in sensitive skin testing. The tree pulp used is FSC® certified, and product materials use fibers tested by OEKO-TEX® against a list of regulated substances. Manufacturing facilities are Carbon Neutral, achieved via renewable energy use and verified carbon offsets. Finished products are cruelty-free and vegan.
Skin-Safe™ from the top down. Only gentle, plant-based fibers touch your skin. The skin-contact layer (the top sheet) contains no chlorine, latex, synthetic dyes, added fragrance, or petroleum-based plastics.
Attn: Grace won't claim to personally guarantee that no molecule of PFAS from somewhere in the global supply chain has ever touched one of its products, because no honest brand can say that. PFAS are in rainwater, in groundwater, and in the air.
What the brand can say is that it doesn't use them by design, it manufactures under one of the most stringent chemical regulatory regimes in the world, and it submits its products to third parties who check the work.
How to Shop for Lower-PFAS Incontinence Care
A short, practical checklist:
Look for specifics, not slogans. "Clean," "natural," and "non-toxic" aren't defined by law. Look for explicit "no added PFAS" statements backed by independent testing, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification (which tests for certain regulated fluorinated compounds among other substances), Certified B Corp™, and Dermatest® as meaningful third-party signals, and ask brands directly how they approach PFAS in their manufacturing and supply chain.
Check where it's made. Products manufactured under EU chemical rules start from a much more restrictive ingredient baseline than products made under U.S. rules.
Ask brands directly. A brand that's serious about avoiding PFAS will have a clear public statement about it and will be able to talk about manufacturing controls, not just marketing language.
Consider the whole routine. If you're trying to reduce PFAS exposure from pads, it's worth also looking at your cookware, water filter, and cosmetics. The research consistently shows these are larger ingestion sources than any single personal-care product (EESI).
Frequently Asked Questions
What are PFAS in pads?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a family of roughly 12,000 synthetic chemicals, sometimes used in absorbent products to make top sheets or wrappers more water- and stain-resistant. They can also be present inadvertently via contaminated manufacturing inputs (TIME).
Are all incontinence pads contaminated with PFAS?
No. Independent testing has found detectable PFAS in a meaningful portion of products on the U.S. market, but not all. One Mamavation/EHN round found 22 of 46 products (about 48%) had detectable fluorine (EHN). Brands that manufacture under stricter chemical regulations and hold third-party certifications are more likely to have controls in place to minimize PFAS from intentional use, though supply-chain contamination can affect any manufacturer.
How do PFAS get into incontinence pads?
Two ways. Intentionally, as a functional additive to repel liquid or improve stain resistance. Inadvertently, through contaminated raw materials or manufacturing water (ACS).
Can PFAS be absorbed through the skin?
Emerging research suggests some short-chain PFAS can cross human skin in vitro, while longer-chain PFAS largely stay on the surface over the same timeframe. Skin absorption is a newer area of study; ingestion from contaminated water and food is still considered the primary exposure route (PubMed).
Are "organic" or "natural" pads PFAS-free?
Not necessarily. In third-party testing, 13 of 22 products that tested positive for PFAS indicators were labeled "organic," "natural," "non-toxic," or "sustainable" (TIME). These terms are not legally defined for feminine or incontinence care.
Does Attn: Grace add PFAS to its incontinence pads?
No. Attn: Grace products are designed without added PFAS. Their pads and liners are manufactured in European factories that comply with EU chemical safety rules. They are a Certified B Corporation™, a company-level certification for social and environmental performance, and their products carry third-party certifications including a Dermatest® Excellent rating in sensitive skin testing, OEKO-TEX® tested fibers (tested against a list of regulated substances), and FSC® certified tree pulp.
How can I reduce my overall PFAS exposure?
Prioritize the largest exposure routes first which includes drinking water (consider a filter certified to remove PFAS), non-stick cookware, grease-resistant food packaging, and stain-resistant fabrics. And then look at personal care products, including pads, liners, cosmetics, and dental floss (EESI).
Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not replace consultation with a qualified health professional. While we strive for accuracy, we make no warranties about completeness or suitability for any purpose. If you have health concerns or persistent symptoms, please consult your clinician.