Do Culligan water filters have PFAS?
Culligan water filters average 95 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 21 Culligan water filters graded as of October 2026, level with the 95 out of 100 median for the 64 other water filters brands graded alongside it.
Culligan water filters average Excellent on our four-band scale. 21 of the 21 we graded are worth buying. That is above 36% of the water filters brands we grade.
PFAS Authority is a scoring system, not a laboratory. We do not test products ourselves. Grades are model-based, built from published ingredients, materials, certifications, brand disclosures and third-party lab results where they exist. See the rubric.
Do Culligan filters remove PFAS?
Yes. 5 Culligan filters are certified to reduce total PFAS under NSF/ANSI 53.
This is a separate question from the grade above, which is about what the filter is made of. A certification means a certifier tested one specific claim on one specific model, so it covers the models named here and nothing else in the range.
| Model | Status | Claim | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquasential Whole Home PFAS Water Filter (fiberglass and Quadra-Hull, indoor and outdoor, incl. French models) | Certified | Total PFAS reduction (including PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS), PFOA, PFOSWQA to NSF/ANSI 53, NSF/ANSI/CAN 372, CSA B483.1Total PFAS influent 2160 ng/L +/-20%, max permissible product water 20 ng/L, average reduction >99.9%. PFOA influent 500 ng/L, >99.9%. PFOS influent 1000 ng/L, >99.8%. Flow 7.5 gpm. | Read it ↗ |
| Aquasential Whole Home PFAS Water Filter (product page) | Certified | Total PFAS reductionWQA to NSF/ANSI 53, NSF/ANSI 372, CSA B483.1Culligan says up to 99.9% total PFAS reduction | Read it ↗ |
| Aquasential Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System (RO) with Total Defense cartridge (TD 1 P/N 01038050, TD 2 P/N 01038051) | Certified | Total PFAS reduction (including PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS)WQA to NSF/ANSI 53, NSF/ANSI/CAN 372, CSA B483.1 (system also NSF/ANSI 58)Total PFAS influent 0.00216 mg/L +/-20%, max permissible 0.00002 mg/L, average reduction >99.9% across listed capacities | Read it ↗ |
| Aquasential Smart RO product page (Total Defense is an optional add-on) | Certified | PFAS (named among contaminants Culligan says the system is certified to reduce)WQA to NSF/ANSI 58, 42, 53, 401, 372, CSA B483.1, NSF P231 | Read it ↗ |
| Aquasential RO product page (Total Defense is an optional add-on) | Certified | PFAS (named among contaminants Culligan says the system is certified to reduce)WQA to NSF/ANSI 58, 42, 53, 401, 372, CSA B483.1, NSF P231 | Read it ↗ |
| Total Defense + Mineral Boost cartridge (TD/Min 1 P/N 01038160, TD/Min 2 P/N 01038161) | Lab tested | Total PFASTotal PFAS influent 0.00216 mg/L +/-20%, max permissible 0.00002 mg/L, average reduction >99.9% | Read it ↗ |
Registers checked September 29, 2026. A lab test the brand publishes is a real result and not a certification. See every filter certified to reduce PFAS, and what Culligan says about PFAS.
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What Culligan says and does about PFAS
We found no statement from Culligan about PFAS in its own products. Culligan says its ZeroWater and MaxClear filters are independently certified by IAPMO to reduce Total PFAS under NSF/ANSI 53. We found no PFAS lawsuit naming Culligan.
- Brand statementCulligan says its water filters are independently certified by IAPMO to reduce total PFAS. This is a claim about filtering PFAS from water. Culligan PFAS Water Filter page ↗
- Brand statementCulligan says its MaxClear gravity filter systems are certified to reduce Total PFAS by 99.6% under NSF/ANSI 53. Culligan PFAS Water Filter page ↗
Sources checked September 30, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.
Culligan water filters worth buying Good or better, best-graded first
- Borosilicate glass dispenser; carbon/ion-exchange filter cartridge
- Bacterial or microbial growth in filter cartridge. Pitcher filters with carbon media can develop biofilm if…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- purified drinking water in polycarbonate or polyethylene container
- BPA & bisphenols. If the bottle is polycarbonate, BPA can leach under heat or prolonged storage, particularly…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- BPA-free plastic pitcher with carbon/ion-exchange filter
- Bacterial growth in filter media if neglected. Carbon and resin filters can harbor bacteria if not replaced…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- plastic pitcher/dispenser with activated carbon replacement filters
- Bacterial growth in filter cartridge. Activated carbon filters, if not replaced on schedule, can harbor…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Bottled water (purified/filtered); plastic bottles (PET or HDPE)
- Microplastic migration from PET bottle, PET bottles may shed microscopic plastic particles over time…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Carbon and sediment filtration media (non-membrane RO/carbon)
- Bacterial growth in filter media and housing (unmaintained). Activated carbon and sediment filters create a…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Activated carbon filter media, polypropylene housing
- Bacterial growth in filter housing and cartridge. Any water filter that is not replaced or maintained on…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- activated carbon filter cartridge, plastic housing
- Plastic housing leachables (unspecified polymer). Culligan does not identify the plastic resin used in the…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- activated carbon cartridge filter, plastic housing
- Bacterial and microbial growth in spent cartridge. Like all carbon filters, cartridges can harbor biofilm if…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Activated carbon and ion-exchange resin filter media; plastic pitcher housing
- Bacterial growth in pitcher reservoir. Pitcher-style filters with standing water and porous cartridge media…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Carbon filter cartridge (activated carbon), plastic housing
- Bacterial growth if cartridge not replaced timely. Saturated activated carbon filters become low-flow and…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Culligan
US-600A Under Sink Water Filter System
- activated carbon filter, NSF-certified polypropylene housing
- Bacterial colonization in activated carbon media. Saturated carbon filters can harbor bacterial biofilm if…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Carbon/sediment filter cartridges, polypropylene housing
- Bacterial contamination in filter housing. Carbon filters can harbor biofilm if not replaced regularly or if…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- plastic bottle with activated carbon/charcoal filter cartridge
- Bacterial growth in filter cartridge if unmaintained. Activated carbon provides a nutrient-poor environment…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Plastic bottle housing, carbon/activated carbon filter media
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3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Activated carbon, ion-exchange resin, filter media
- Bacterial growth in filter housing. Moist filter housings can harbor biofilm if not dried between uses or if…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Polystyrene dispenser body; ion-exchange resin filter
- Ion-exchange resin degradation and particle release. Resin beads can fragment if cartridge is dropped, shaken…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- activated carbon filter cartridge, BPA-free plastic pitcher body
- Bacterial growth if filter unmaintained. Activated carbon is a permeable medium that can harbor biofilm if…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- polycarbonate or polyethylene plastic bottle; carbon/resin filter media
- BPA & bisphenols. Culligan labels these bottles as BPA-free, but independent lab verification of BPA-free…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Activated carbon filters, plastic housing
- Bacterial or mold growth in filter bed. Any pitcher filter can harbor bacteria if cartridges are not replaced…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- plastic reservoir, carbon/ion-exchange filter media
- Bacterial biofilm growth in filter cartridge and housing. Any pitcher filter with standing water risks…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Better water filters from other brands
Graded higher than the Culligan average of 95.
- glass bottles, sodium dichloroisocyanurate treatment chemical
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- Chemical overdose or misuse
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- Stainless steel housing and spigot
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- Borosilicate glass pitcher, replaceable activated-carbon filter cartridge
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The same question, asked of the other water filters brands
Best average grade first. Culligan averages 95.
See every Culligan product we grade on the Culligan brand page, or the full water filters ranking.