Condoms & Lubricants Tested For Indications of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” — Guide

What are the safest condoms and lubricants without indications of PFAS “forever chemicals?” This was the question Mamavation members asked us because they were concerned about these products for their own personal health, but also for the young adults & teenagers in their lives. We did not know the answer to these questions because no one has studied the impacts of PFAS in this category of reproductive health products yet, so we decided to start testing. Would you like some guidance on the safest condoms and lubricants? You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you safest makeup sans PFAS, safest contact lenses, best water purifiers to filter PFAS, and best organic mattresses, now join us for a consumer study on condoms & lubricants with raw laboratory results on PFAS “forever chemical” indicators.

Disclosure: This consumer study is released in partnership with Environmental Health News. Scientific reviews were performed by (1) Terrence Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry & Director of the Institute for Green Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, (2) Linda S. Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program & Scholar in Residence at Duke University, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, & Yale University, & (3) Scott Belcher, Associate Professor with the Center for Environmental & Health Effects of PFAS at North Carolina State University. This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. Donations were provided by Environmental Health News and Mamavation community members. Note that 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. Thank you!  [Updated: Additional products added on 5-8-2024]

Mamavation’s Lab Finds Indications of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” In Condoms & Lubricants

Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory found indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” after analyzing 29 popular condoms & lubricants on the market today. PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that have been used for many decades as stain-resistant, oil-resistant, grease-resistant, & water-resistant chemicals in commerce. From our vantage point, it looks as if the condom & lubricant industry may have some contamination issues from manufacturing, which is commonplace in other industries.

PFAS is found in many other areas of our homes with some examples being cookware, makeup, drinking water, contact lenses & dental floss. These chemicals are linked to serious health effects, which we will discuss later. Because PFAS are so toxic, Mamavation has commissioned our own scientific studies on indications of PFAS in products to make recommendations for condoms & lubricants using PFAS-free materials. Read Mamavation’s articles on these products to find which brands are organic-fluorine-free.

For this consumer study, Mamavation sent 25 condoms & 4 lubricants from 19 brands to an EPA-certified laboratory looking for indications of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals.”  Here’s what we found:

• 14% of total condom & lubricants tested had indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.” 4 detections from 29 reproductive health products (condoms & lubricants) had organic fluorine above 10 parts per million (ppm) according to our lab,
• Broken down by category, 12% of condoms tested had indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.” Specifically, 3 out of 25 condoms had detectable levels of organic fluorine above 10 ppm.
• 25% of lubricants had indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.” Specifically, 1 out of 4 lubricants had detectable levels of organic fluorine above 10 ppm.
• Ranges of organic fluorine, a marker of PFAS, were from 13 ppm to 68 ppm. 

Linda Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program & Scholar in Residence at Duke University, and Adjunct Professor at both University of North Carolina, & Yale University had this to say: “Because condoms are an exposure to the most sensitive areas on the human body for both men and women, I would strongly recommend the industry identify and remove these chemicals immediately. The vagina and penis are incredibly vascular areas and dermal exposure to these areas are often higher than other places of the body.”

[Update: Additional lubrication products added on 5-8-2024 to bring consumers more “clean” options.]

PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Have Problematic Health Effects

PFAS “forever chemicals” are problematic for human health and the environment. They are considered ubiquitous, persistent, and toxic. In fact, many of these PFAS chemicals can last for years or decades in our bodies. The health effects from exposure to PFAS inside the vagina and penis areas are unknown. However, we do know that these are some of the most vulnerable areas of the human body to the effects of toxic chemicals like PFAS in the environment. Therefore, it’s imperative to reduce the amount of PFAS you are exposed to from food, water, and consumer products like condoms and lubricants. Mamavation is dedicated to helping you do that when you are shopping for condoms and lubricants.

Here are some of the health effects of different PFAS “forever chemicals:”

• Reduction in immunity
• Reduced vaccination response
• Increased risk of allergies & asthma in young children
• Affected growth, learning, and behavior of infants and older children
• Increase cholesterol levels
• Metabolic diseases like obesity & diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Lowered a woman’s chance of getting pregnant
• Lowered male fertility
• Increased risk of kidney & testicular cancers
• Causes endocrine disruption
• Disrupted normal thyroid function
• Increases risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children 

It’s also very clear based on biomonitoring evidence from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that PFAS are in all Americans. Therefore, these impacts can harm most Americans.

Terrence Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry & Director of the Institute for Green Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University had this to say: “We live in a highly chemicalized world where for 30 years environmental health scientists have been finding that a class of chemicals, called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), can impact living things adversely at trace exposures at all stages of life. It makes sense chemically that the chemicals in condoms will be absorbed into male and female reproductive tissues such as to perhaps be present in sperm and eggs at the time of fertilization. I applaud those manufacturers of condoms who are upfront about what chemicals are in their products, both the plastics and the lubricants. But much too little is known about the endocrine activities of the disclosed chemicals. While the purpose of condoms is to block fertilization, it is chemically certain that the female reproductive tract will be contaminated by some of the chemicals in condoms. Therefore, we must expand safety testing to assess these possibilities.”

Latex Gloves Are Known to Possibly Contain PFAS “Forever Chemicals” & Other Contamination Issues

When we started looking into the possibilities of how latex condoms could become contaminated with PFAS, we immediately found information about latex gloves and the techniques of proper PFAS sampling. Several university sites have instructions on how to sample PFAS within the community. In fact, right here in the instructions from Michigan PFAS Action Response Team with the State of Michigan is instructions on how to sample PFAS while avoiding contamination. They specifically say that latex gloves are known to contain PFAS. It’s recommended that you use powderless nitrile gloves instead if you want to avoid cross contamination. In our study, we were not able to interview any condom manufacturers to ascertain if latex condoms were similar to latex gloves in that reguard, but there is always this possibility.

Other ways that PFAS may be finding their way into condoms may be from manufacturing equipment, processing aides, or the packaging itself, which we did not test.

• Packaging has been quite a problem in some of our other recent studies like green beauty makeup, butter wrappers, fast food wrappers, parchment paper, & cupcake liners.
• Additional manufacturing issues could also be a problem as well. When it comes to personal care products like toilet paper, green beauty makeup, period underwear, tampons, sanitary pads, and food, there were also problems with polytetrafluoroethylene (aka PTFE, a type of PFAS) coming from fluorinated plastic, manufacturing aides, and non-stick coatings on equipment.

Any of these possibilities could also be a reason why our laboratory found indicators of PFAS within condoms and lubricants. Ultimately, it will be up to the brands to do their own testing for total organic fluorine (TOF), identifying the problem, and removing it from the supply chain.

Other Categories of Products Mamavation Has Tested for Indications of PFAS “Forever Chemicals”

Before we launch into the raw data from our lab, we wanted to remind you about all the other studies we have done on indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” inside the food and consumer products you may bring inside your home. Each one of these studies were done in a similar fashion as this study with brands sent independently to the lab and raw data of those labs at the bottom of the post.

• Soft Contact Lenses
• Green Beauty Makeup
• Lip Balm
• 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

Mamavation’s Investigation of Condoms & Lubricants

Condoms & lubricants were purchased between February and August of 2023. For this consumer study, all products were purchased by Mamavation either at Walmart or from Amazon. Each product was recorded in our database and then sent directly to the lab within it’s original packaging.

Testing: Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory uses marker testing to identify the potential presence of PFAS “forever chemicals” in condoms & lubricants. Organic fluorine is a marker for PFAS because all PFAS chemicals are carbon-based compounds that contain fluorine. The specific lab method used to test for total fluorine was the Determination of Total Fluorine by Oxygen Flask Combustion and Ion-Selective Electrode. If total fluorine was observed at a detection level of 10 ppm or greater, the lab did the Determination of free Fluoride Ion in the product by Ion-Selective Electrode and then subtracted that from the Total Fluorine to determine the amount of organic fluorine. This marker testing is likely to show the presence of PFAS. Organic fluorine can also capture other fluoropolymers, pharmaceuticals, and common hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, such as 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (commonly known as R-134a) and 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (commonly known as HFO-1234yf), which are all also PFAS.  None of which you want around your food, personal care products, or condoms & lubricants!

Scott Belcher, Ph.D. & Associate Professor with the Center for Environmental & Health Effects of PFAS at North Carolina State University says “fluoropolymers, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE),  are extremely common forms of PFAS that could be contributing to the organic fluorine found in condoms & lubricants. Methods used for detecting individual PFAS, such as PFOA or GenX, cannot directly identify PTFE. However, the analysis of total organic fluorine (TOF) does account for all PFAS contaminants in condoms & lubricants, including PTFE. Therefore, this method of testing serves as a good ‘spot-check’ of consumer products.”

Rankings: Ranking condoms was rather difficult. We spent many months trying to get the full ingredients and materials from most of the brands to no avail. So instead of ranking the condoms via ingredients & materials for the “better” and “best” categories, we ranked them via 100% transparency instead. Our reasoning was because very few of these brands were willing to disclose 100% of the ingredients and materials, and even the ones that did disclose, we had some reservations about the ingredients used. We are not aware of studies that look at these combinations of ingredients to see if they have the possibility to disrupt hormones and impact sensitive reproductive organs and reproduction in general. Do they disrupt hormones with these combinations? We were not sure. Therefore, we gave our highest rank to the brands that disclosed 100% of their ingredients instead. We would caution you to not assume that the other brands that did not disclose have ingredients that were any better. Instead, we believe that the safest ingredients are probably residing with the brands that were the most transparent in general. As for the lubricants, we ranked them based on ingredients and the avoidance of hormone disrupting chemicals.

[Update: Additional lubrication products added on 5-8-2024 to bring consumers more “clean” options.]

Product Brands We Tested
To help our community make safer choices, Mamavation sent a wide range of condom and lubricant brands to our EPA-certified laboratory to look for total organic fluorine (TOF), a marker that can indicate the potential presence of PFAS “forever chemicals.” All products were evaluated for TOF and then categorized based on our findings and ingredient transparency.

Below is the complete list of condom and lubricant brands included in our investigation.

Condom & Lubricant Brands Tested by Mamavation

• Trojan Ultra Thin Condoms for Ultra Sensitivity

• Union Standard Ultra Thin Lubricated Male Latex Condoms

• KY Jelly Classic Water-Based Personal Lubricant

• Lola Tingling Mint Pleasure Gel for Spot-On Arousal

• P.S. Moisturizing & Healing Hypoallergenic 100% Vegan Premium Lube Organic Aloe & Plant-Based

• uberlube Silicone Lube

• Durex Real Feel Non-Latex Regular Fit Polyisoprene Condoms

• Durex Air Regular Fit Ultra Thin Condoms

• Kimono Micro Thin Barely There Condoms

• KY Me & You Condoms Extra Lubricated

• LELO HEX Original Re-engineered Latex Condoms

• Lifestyles Ultra Sensitive Natural Rubber Latex Condoms

• Loveability Ultra Thin Lubricated Natural Latex Condoms & Tin

• Lovense Realsize Condom Measured for Pleasure

• O Well Natural Premium Ultra Thin Latex Condoms

• SKYN Feel Everything Elite Ultra Thin & Ultra Soft

• Trojan Bareskin Get 50% Thinner Latex Condoms

• Trojan Ecstasy Ultra Ribbed “Feels like Nothing’s there!” Latex Condoms

• Trojan ENZ Classic Reservoir End Lubricated Latex Condoms

• Trojan Her Pleasure Enhanced Stimulation for Her Latex Condoms

• Trojan Magnum Large Size Condoms

• Trojan Naturallamb Luxury Condoms Real Skin-to-Skin

• Trojan Ultra Ribbed Designed for Ultra Stimulation Latex Condoms

• Wink Closer EveryDay 0.04 THIN Lubricated Male Condoms

• Astroglide Water-Based Long Lasting Not Sticky Personal Lubricant

• Good Clean Love Almost Naked Personal Lubricant

• Signature Care (Walmart) Personal Lubricating Jelly

• Glyde Ultra Standard Fit Ultra Thin Condoms

• P.S. Good Times Exceptionally Thin Latex Condoms

• Sustain Natural Ultra Thin Lubricated Latex Condoms

• Aloe Cadabra Personal Lubricant & Moisturizer Natural Aloe 95% Organic Aloe Vera Vitamin E Enriched

• Foria Awaken Arousal Oil with Organic Botanicals Intimacy

• Honey Pot Organic Moisturizing Lubricant Organic Strawberry Intimate

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