Are the clothes on your back slowly harming you?

Concerns are mounting over the potential health impacts of the clothes people wear daily. The "low-tox" movement has prompted consumers to question everything from skincare ingredients to the garments they don. This scrutiny gained momentum after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation in April 2026 into whether Lululemon products contained PFAS – a group of synthetic chemicals that are resistant to breaking down and have been dubbed "forever chemicals".

Lululemon responded by stating it had stopped using PFAS over two years ago, but the investigation had already sparked widespread curiosity about the health effects of the fabric touching our skin.

PFAS are not a single chemical but an umbrella term for over 12,000 synthetic compounds. They've been used since the 1940s to make materials resistant to water, oil, heat, and stains. However, they accumulate in the environment and the human body due to their strong carbon-fluorine bond, which makes them hard to break down. Some PFAS compounds, like PFOA and PFOS, have been classified as carcinogenic to humans. This finding has prompted regulators globally to move towards phasing out these chemicals.

In textiles, PFAS have traditionally been used to make fabric water-repellent, stain-resistant, wrinkle-free, or moisture-wicking. While these properties are useful, they come at a cost. The European Environment Agency has highlighted textiles as one of the largest sources of PFAS pollution in Europe and noted that safer alternatives exist for most clothing categories.

The question, then, is whether wearing PFAS-treated clothing poses a meaningful health risk. While research suggests that certain PFAS compounds can pass through human skin, experts contend that the concern is not whether the chemicals exist or can be harmful, but the dosage. The amount of exposure someone gets from wearing treated clothing is still considered to be low compared to other sources like food and water.

Experts like Dr Dema Mahdi Mohamed, a general practitioner, advise being aware of PFAS but not to become overly anxious about everyday exposure. The Lululemon investigation underscores the complexity of the issue, as certifications often apply to individual products rather than entire brands. International regulation is moving in the direction of restricting PFAS in textiles, with California and New York passing laws limiting PFAS in these products.

For Mar, the primary concern is the environmental impact of these chemicals, as they do not readily break down.