Fluorinated finish (PFAS)
Also appears on labels as: ptfe, eptfe, polytetrafluoroethylene, ptfe membrane, eptfe membrane, fluoropolymer
A finish, coating or membrane the maker names as fluorinated: PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene, used in nonstick coatings and, stretched, in waterproof membranes), a fluoropolymer, a fluorocarbon or fluorotelomer finish, a C6 or C8 water repellent, or a chemical named perfluoro- or polyfluoro-. All of them are PFAS, which state laws define as fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.
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- Where it comes from
- Made by building carbon chains with fluorine in place of hydrogen. The carbon-fluorine bond is among the strongest in chemistry, which is what makes these finishes shed water and oil, and what makes PFAS so slow to break down.
- Why it's in the product
- Repels water, oil and stains on fabric, or keeps food from sticking to a coating.
- Safety and toxicity
- PFAS persist: many break down very slowly and can build up in people, animals and the environment over time (EPA). IARC classifies one of them, PFOA, as carcinogenic to humans (2023). In studies of fabrics with fluorinated water repellents, the fabrics released PFAS as they aged and were washed (van der Veen and colleagues, 2022; Schellenberger and colleagues, 2019), and a pet lies on its bed and blanket, licks them and chews them. At least eight states have passed bans on intentionally added PFAS in household textiles: four are in force, and the rest, Colorado's among them, start in 2027 or 2028.
- Interactions and who should be careful
- "PFOA-free", "PFOS-free" or "C8-free" rules out one compound or one chain length, not PFAS: a C6 finish is still PFAS, so those words don't clear a finish. A trade name counts here only when its owner's own documents say that product line is fluorinated; a bare "GORE-TEX" or "Teflon" reads as Repellent finish (chemistry not named).
General reference, not veterinary advice. Dose, breed, and existing conditions change the answer, so talk to your vet before changing what your pet eats. Think we got this wrong? Tell us and we log it publicly.
Not in anything we've scored yet
No product in our database lists this on its panel. That says more about how much we have scored so far than about how common the ingredient is.