Most waterproof jackets from Amazon, Shein and Temu contain harmful PFAS

Softshell jackets and windbreakers may contain PFAS to make them dirt and water repellent. But the substances are harmful to both the environment and health.

We have tested 26 cheap waterproof jackets to see if they contain PFAS. The jackets are purchased on the platforms Amazon, Shein and Temu and on the Danish market to compare whether there is a difference between clothes you buy outside or within the EU's borders.

Waterproof jackets at a reasonable price

Wind and waterproof jackets do not have to be an expensive investment, and there are many cheaper jackets available, especially on foreign platforms such as Amazon, Shein and Temu. Therefore, we have tested jackets that are in the price range of 10-50€ to see if they contain the problematic substances PFAS.

The jackets were bought here: Amazon, Bilka, Coop, Føtex, H&M, Jem & Fix, Jolly room, Lidl, Nameit, Shein, Temu and Uniqlo.

Why is PFAS a problem?

PFAS are chemicals that can be used to make jackets water and dirt repellent. But the substances are hardly broken down, and they pollute the soil, groundwater and also the food we eat. PFAS are associated with health risks such as weakened immune system, endocrine disrupting effects, and high cholesterol. Therefore, Denmark has decided to ban PFAS in clothing from 2026. EU is also working on a broader ban on PFAS.

Tested for PFAS content

PFAS can be added to jackets as impregnation to provide a waterproof surface. There are several thousand PFAS substances and it varies which ones are used in the factories.

We have tested whether there is any form of PFAS present in the jackets, also called total organic fluorine or TOF. If there is a content above 50 mg/kg of PFAS in a jacket, we have also tested for a range of specific PFAS and checked if they are legal to use in the EU.

High risk of PFAS in jackets from online market platforms

The test shows that there is the greatest risk of getting PFAS in the purchase if you buy a waterproof
jacket from Amazon, Shein and Temu:

•  75 percent of jackets from Amazon, Shein and Temu contain PFAS (13 out of 17 jackets).
• 12 jackets from Amazon, Shein and Temu contain PFAS substances that are illegal in the EU.
  These jackets have been reported to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
• In Danish stores, we found PFAS in one out of 9 jackets, but they comply with the legislation.
  It's a jacket from Uniqlo.

"It is scary that there are illegal PFAS substances in 70 percent of the jackets Danes can buy on non-European platforms such as Temu, Shein and Amazon. PFAS are a problem for our health and our environment, and we must do what we can to stop their use. Both for the individual consumer and for the sake of our common environment," says the Danish Minister for the Environment Magnus
Heunicke.

The price does not make a difference

The price will not help you find a good jacket without PFAS. The test shows that the cheapest jacket of DKK 75 from Shein contains illegal PFAS. The most expensive jacket in the test at DKK 350 is from Temu and also contains illegal PFAS.

The PFAS problem cannot be washed away

It is true that you can wash some residual chemicals out of new clothes, and therefore you should always wash them before using them.

But you can't get rid of all unwanted chemicals in the washing machine. Whether they disappear depends on where in the clothes they are located.

If PFAS is part of the impregnation, it can be gradually washed out. But if it's built into the membrane, it stays in the jacket – no matter how many times you wash it.

The biggest problem is not PFAS in the individual product, but the widespread contamination from the production itself. Factories that produce PFAS-containing materials release the chemicals into the environment, where they accumulate and end up in animals and humans, primarily via what we eat. Therefore, we recommend choosing clothes without PFAS to limit PFAS pollution at the source.

Danish PFAS ban on the horizon

PFAS are everywhere, and the test shows that there is a high risk of getting dangerous PFAS in the basket if you buy your jacket on platforms outside the EU. The substances contaminate the soil, groundwater and can be measured in our blood. This has got politicians out of their chairs in Denmark and a united Parliament will ban PFAS in clothes, shoes and impregnation from 2026 in products sold in Denmark. 

"Shortly, I will sign a new executive order that prohibits the sale and import of clothing, footwear and impregnation spray with PFAS. The ban will come into force on 1 July 2026 and will apply regardless of whether the sale takes place in physical stores or online, and regardless of whether the seller is based in Denmark or outside the EU's borders," says Minister for the Environment Magnus Heunicke.

Choose jackets from brands that are marketed as PFAS-free products until the new rules come into force. We recommend that you do not buy your new jacket outside the EU, as the risk of harmful PFAS is high.