MAC averages 65 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 68 MAC products graded as of October 2026, and 51 of them reach its 70 point pass mark. Grades are model-based estimates built from published materials, ingredients and disclosures, not lab tests. CBC Marketplace testing in 2023 found PFAS in MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation and Stack Waterproof Mascara, and MAC said it does not intentionally add PFAS to its makeup.

Mac Cream Colour Base is the highest-graded MAC product we have scored, at 75/100. It depends on the product line rather than the brand, so check the grade of the exact item you are buying.

Which MAC products are lower concern for PFAS?

The highest-graded MAC products we have scored are Mac Cream Colour Base, MAC Strobe Dewy Skin Tint, Blush Sheertone MAC. That is our model-based estimate from materials and public disclosure, not a lab test.

Which MAC products should I avoid?

The lowest-graded MAC products we have scored are MAC Stack Mascara, MAC Squirt Plumping Gloss Stick, MAC MACStack Waterproof Mascara. Each one links to the evidence behind its grade.

65Good

MAC Review, Is MAC Non-Toxic?

The verdict October 2026

MAC averages 65 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 68 MAC products graded as of October 2026, and 51 of them reach its 70 point pass mark.

Free to quote with attribution to PFAS Authority and a link to pfasauthority.com/brands/mac.

MAC grades Good 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 MAC says and does about PFAS

In November 2023 CBC Marketplace lab testing found PFAS in two MAC products, Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 foundation and Stack Waterproof Mascara, including two PFAS that Canada restricts when used intentionally, found in two of the three MAC foundation samples. MAC told Marketplace it does not intentionally add PFAS as an ingredient to any of its makeup. MAC is also covered by the Center for Environmental Health’s 2022 court-enforceable settlement on intentionally added PFOA, and Ulta’s ingredient list for one MAC mascara includes PTFE.

Independent testCBC Marketplace’s 2023 lab testing named MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 in NC5 and MAC Stack Waterproof Mascara in black among five makeup products found to contain PFAS. CBC News ↗
Independent testTwo fluorotelomer alcohols that Canada restricts when used intentionally were found in two of the three MAC foundation samples. CBC News ↗
Brand statementMAC told Marketplace it does not intentionally add PFAS as an ingredient to any of its makeup, and that it constantly reviews the latest safety and environmental data on its products. CBC News ↗
Legal caseThe Center for Environmental Health’s March 2022 court-enforceable settlement with Estée Lauder names MAC among the brands whose foundations and concealers will not contain intentionally added PFOA or ingredients known to degrade to it. Center for Environmental Health (archived page) ↗
MaterialsUlta’s ingredient list for MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Volumizing Black Lash Mascara includes PTFE. Ulta Beauty ↗
Regulatory filingA Proposition 65 notice of violation filed with the California Attorney General named MAC Mineralize Concealer in NC42, by UPC, as an example of a product alleged to expose consumers to perfluorooctanoic acid. A 60-day notice is an allegation by the filing group, not a finding. Center for Environmental Health, notice filed with the California Attorney General ↗
Regulatory filingAn earlier notice over makeup foundation and concealer listed Make-Up Art Cosmetics Inc. among the responsible parties. Center for Environmental Health, notice filed with the California Attorney General ↗
Regulatory filingIn January 2026 Estee Lauder Cosmetics Ltd. was fined $750,000 at the Ontario Court of Justice over eyeliner products that listed perfluorononyl dimethicone as an ingredient, which Environment and Climate Change Canada describes as a PFAS. The release names the Canadian company, not MAC specifically. Environment and Climate Change Canada ↗

Sources checked October 1, 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.

MAC 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.

Does MAC have PFAS, by category

Which MAC products are PFAS-free? Good or better, best-graded first

MAC

Cream Colour Base

75ExcellentPFAS grade

Oils, waxes, pigments, and standard cosmetic emollients
Fragrance allergens and undisclosed fragrance components, MAC Cream Colour Base ingredient lists do not…

2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.

MAC Review, Is MAC Non-Toxic?

What MAC says and does about PFAS

You may also be interested in

Does MAC have PFAS, by category

Which MAC products are PFAS-free? Good or better, best-graded first

Which MAC products contain PFAS? Poor and Bad, we’d swap these

What to buy instead Good or better, in the categories MAC sells

MAC and PFAS, common questions