Helly Hansen Review, Is Helly Hansen Non-Toxic?
Helly Hansen averages 20 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 12 Helly Hansen products graded as of October 2026, and none of them reach its 70 point pass mark.
Helly Hansen grades Bad on our four-band scale.
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.
What Helly Hansen says and does about PFAS
Helly Hansen says it is phasing PFAS out, calling the chemistry proven harmful for nature and living organisms, and works with research institutes and suppliers on PFAS-free DWR. It is unusually direct about where it has not got there yet, saying nothing matches PFAS for oil repellency so its workwear fabrics will depend on PFAS for longer. Its published figures are over 70% of sports apparel on PFAS-free DWR and a 100% PFAS-free inline collection aimed for 2023, a target date that had already passed when we read the page.
- Brand statementHelly Hansen says PFAS chemistry has been proven harmful for nature and living organisms and that it is therefore phasing PFAS chemicals out of its products, in close cooperation with research institutes and chemical suppliers of PFAS-free DWR treatments. Helly Hansen ↗
- Brand statementIt says there is still no alternative chemistry that supplies as low a surface tension as PFAS, so it cannot yet make fabrics that are PFAS-free and oil repellent at the same time, and that its workwear fabrics will be dependent on PFAS for a bit longer. Helly Hansen ↗
- Brand statementThe same page says over 70% of its sports apparel uses PFAS-free DWR and that it aims for a 100% PFAS-free inline collection by 2023. We read the page in September 2026, three years after that target date, and it had not been updated. Helly Hansen ↗
Sources checked September 22, 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.
Helly Hansen is one of the brands we researched by hand for our record of what every brand has published about PFAS, where the same question is answered for each of them in one line.
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Does Helly Hansen have PFAS, by category
Which Helly Hansen products contain PFAS? Poor and Bad, we’d swap these
- Polyester shell with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating
- PFAS. The specific water-repellent chemistry is not disclosed. While PFAS remains the primary concern, older…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Synthetic insulation (Lifaloft™) with water-repellent coating-treated nylon shell
- PFAS. Helly Hansen has not disclosed whether the water-repellent coating finish contains PFAS or alternative…
- Nylon outer with water-repellent coating finish; likely polyester lining
- PFAS. Nylon jackets require water-repellent coating treatment; Helly Hansen's refusal to disclose chemistry…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Polyester/nylon with water-repellent coating water-repellent finish
- PFAS. The water-repellent coating on polyester ski jackets is statistically dominated by PFAS-based…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Nylon with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) finish
- PFAS. Nylon jackets routinely use fluorinated water-repellent coating coatings. Helly Hansen has not…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Polyester with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating
- Formaldehyde / VOCs. Polyester water-repellent coating coatings commonly employ formaldehyde-based…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Polyester shell with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating
- PFAS. Standard fluorochemical water-repellent coating is likely unless otherwise stated, but Helly Hansen…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Polyester blend with water-repellent coating water-repellent finish
- water-repellent coating composition (fluorinated or non-fluorinated unknown). Helly Hansen does not disclose…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- polyester with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating
- Formaldehyde / VOCs. Polyester textiles sometimes receive formaldehyde-based resins for wrinkle resistance or…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- polyester with water-repellent coating finish
- water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating composition. Unspecified water-repellent coating…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Polyester shell with water-repellent coating water-repellent treatment
- PFAS. Not confirmed for this specific model, but Helly Hansen does not disclose water-repellent coating…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Polyester shell with water-repellent coating water-repellent treatment (unspecified)
- PFAS. Helly Hansen does not disclose whether the Sogn 2.0 uses PFAS-based or non-fluorine water-repellent…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Find an alternative on AmazonHelly Hansen and PFAS, common questions
- Does Helly Hansen have PFAS?
- Helly Hansen averages 20 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 12 Helly Hansen products graded as of October 2026, and none of them reach its 70 point pass mark. Grades are model-based estimates built from published materials, ingredients and disclosures, not lab tests. Helly Hansen says it is phasing out PFAS and had over 70% of its sports apparel on PFAS-free DWR, while saying its workwear will depend on PFAS longer because nothing matches it for oil repellency.
- Is Helly Hansen non-toxic?
- No Helly Hansen product we graded reaches Good. The best of them is Helly Hansen Men's Alpha 4.0 Jacket at 20/100.
- Which Helly Hansen products should I avoid?
- The lowest-graded Helly Hansen products we have scored are Helly Hansen Men's Sogn 2.0 Shell Jacket, Helly Hansen Juniper 3.0 Jacket Men's, Helly Hansen Men's Dubliner Jacket. Each one links to the evidence behind its grade.
Every grade uses the same public rubric. How grades work →