Cupcake Liners Tested For Indications of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” — Buying Guide

Are you looking for safe cupcake liners without indications of PFAS “forever chemicals?” After we posted our investigation on non-toxic cupcake & muffin pans, many people asked us to come up with recommendations of cupcake liners. So we sent off the top 4 cupcake liners sold on Amazon and had them tested for indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.” You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like best air fryers sans PFAS “forever chemicals,” best non-toxic toasters, safest cookware, & best non-toxic dishes, now join us for the lab results of popular cupcake liners.

Disclosure: This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. Donations were provided by Environmental Health News and Mamavation community members. Mamavation has only “spot-checked” the industry and thus we cannot make predictions about brands and products that we have not tested. Products and manufacturing aides can change without notice so buyer beware. This post contains affiliate links, with some to Amazon, which means Mamavation will receive a portion of those sales and we will use that to pay ourselves back for the testing. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Click “yes” when asked if the gift is in honor of someone and type “Mamavation.” Thank you!  

PFAS “Forever Chemicals” & Health Impacts

PFAS “forever chemicals” are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances used as stain-resistant, water-resistant, & oil-resistant chemicals in commerce. They have been used for decades inside consumer products, manufacturing, and building materials. There are over 12,000 different chemicals in the PFAS chemical class (including PFOA & PTFE), and because there are so many of them, they are incredibly hard to identify and test for.

PFAS “forever chemicals” are problematic to human health and the environment. They are considered persistent, ubiquitous, and toxic, and therefore, it’s important you avoid them as much as you can to keep them from building up in our bodies. Many compounds can last for years in our bodies, therefore, it’s imperative to reduce the amount of PFAS you are exposed to from contaminated food and water.

Here are a list of health effects PFAS chemicals are linked to presently according to our scientific advisor and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program, Linda Birnbaum:

• reduction in immunity
• reduced vaccination response
• increased risk of allergies & asthma in young children
• affect the growth, learning, and behavior of infants and older children
• increase cholesterol levels
• metabolic diseases like obesity & diabetes
• cardiovascular disease
• lower a woman’s chance of getting pregnant
• lowers male fertility
• increase the risk of kidney & testicular cancers
• Causes endocrine disruption
• Disrupts normal thyroid function

Mamavation Finds Traces of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” In Other Adjacent Industries

PFAS, otherwise known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (aka PFCs or perfluorinated chemicals, including PFOA and PFOS) are added to many products we purchase to make them “stain-resistant,” “grease-proof,” and “water-resistant.”

As we are writing this, Mamavation has finished 17 consumer studies looking for indications of PFAS inside everyday items and food we bring into our homes. In these studies, we have learned quite a bit about where PFAS chemicals hide in everyday products. Learn more about our other PFAS consumer studies here:

• Soft Contact Lenses
• Green Beauty Makeup
• Dental Floss
• Toilet Paper
• Period Underwear
• Tampons
• Sanitary Pads, Pantiliners, & Incontinence Pads
• Powdered Electrolytes
• Butter Wrappers
• Pasta & Tomato Sauces
• Nut Butters (Peanut butter, etc.)
• Cooking Oils (olive oil, almond oil, canola oil, etc)
• Ketchup
• Activewear (Yoga Pants)
• Sports Bras
• Parchment Paper
• Cupcake Liners
• Plastic-Free Straws
• Fast Food Packaging
• Children’s Probiotics
• Kids’ Backpacks
• Baby Strollers

Product Brands We Tested
To help our community make safer choices, Mamavation sent several popular cupcake liners purchased on Amazon to our EPA-certified laboratory for testing. All products were evaluated for total fluorine to identify potential indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.”

Below is the complete list of cupcake liner products included in our investigation.

Cupcake Liners Tested by Mamavation

• If You Care Jumbo Baking Cups

• Wilton Baking Cups — Assorted Colors/Designs

• Eoonfirst Standard Baking Cups Natural

• Gifbera Standard Baking Cups Natural

Want full access to the raw data, fluorine findings, and our recommendations for the safest cupcake liners? Become a Member and get Free Access to access the complete buying guide with detailed lab results for every product.