Does Maybelline lip balm & long-wear lipstick have PFAS?
Maybelline lip balm & long-wear lipstick averages 49 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 12 Maybelline lip balm & long-wear lipstick products graded as of October 2026, below the 75 out of 100 median for the 31 other lip balm & long-wear lipstick brands graded alongside it.
Maybelline lip balm & long-wear lipstick averages Poor on our four-band scale. 5 of the 12 we graded are worth buying.
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.
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Top-graded picks in the categories readers replace first, every one scored on the same rubric.
- polypropylene filter housing, carbon/sediment cartridge
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial growth in spent cartridges
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Aquasure
Premier Series 75 GPD Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
- RO membrane, carbon filters, stainless steel housing
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial and microbial growth in housing and filters
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Avocado
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- organic cotton, natural latex, coconut coir, recycled steel coils
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- Heavy metals
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
What Maybelline says and does about PFAS
Maybelline is sold by L’Oréal, which says that since the end of 2025 it has stopped producing any formulas containing ingredients from the PFAS family. That statement is L’Oréal’s and does not name Maybelline. A consumer class action in New York, Hicks v. L’Oréal USA, alleges that the plaintiffs’ lab analysis found PFAS in waterproof mascaras including Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof. In 2024 the court dismissed some claims and let others proceed. These are allegations, not findings.
- Brand statementL’Oréal says that since the end of 2025 it has stopped producing any formulas containing ingredients of the PFAS family. The statement does not name Maybelline. L’Oréal ↗
- Legal caseThe amended complaint in Hicks v. L’Oréal USA (S.D.N.Y.) lists Maybelline waterproof mascaras, including Great Lash Waterproof, among the products at issue and alleges the plaintiffs’ lab analysis detected PFAS. Complaint via ClassAction.org ↗
- Legal caseIn 2024 the court granted L’Oréal’s motion to dismiss in part and denied it in part, so some of the claims continued. U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York ↗
- Legal caseA 2022 federal class action alleged that third-party lab testing found PFAS, including PFOA, in several waterproof mascaras, naming four Maybelline products among them. That is the plaintiff’s allegation, not a finding. Vega v. L’Oreal USA, Inc., No. 2:22-cv-02049 (D.N.J.), complaint ↗
- Legal caseThe parallel case was dismissed because the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate standing, having not sufficiently shown that the specific mascaras they bought contained PFAS. The court also noted the plaintiffs never alleged the 2021 Notre Dame cosmetics study had reviewed any L’Oreal product, so that study cannot be read as a finding against this brand. Verdant Law ↗
- StudyThe 2021 Notre Dame screening tested over 230 cosmetics for total fluorine and reported results by product category, finding high fluorine in 47 percent of mascaras and 56 percent of foundations and eye products. It named no brands, and only one of the 29 products in its targeted subset listed a fluorochemical on its label. University of Notre Dame, Peaslee Lab ↗
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.
Maybelline lip balm & long-wear lipstick worth buying Good or better, best-graded first
- Oils, waxes, silicones, glycerin (typical lip gloss formulation)
- Fragrance allergens and sensitizers. Maybelline Lifter Gloss lists fragrance in formulation (specific…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Oils, waxes, pigments (typical lip gloss base)
- Fragrance allergens. Lifter Glaze contains fragrance ingredients listed generically on labels; specific…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- pigments, oils, waxes, silicones (typical lip gloss base)
- Fragrance allergens and undisclosed fragrance constituents. Lifter Gloss contains 'fragrance' as a listed…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Oil-in-gel base (silicones, oils); standard cosmetic pigments and thickeners
- Fragrance allergens and undisclosed components. Lip glosses list 'fragrance' as a single ingredient, which…
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Liquid cosmetic gloss (emollient blend, film-formers, pigments)
- Fragrance allergens and sensitizers. Lip glosses typically contain fragrance compounds that can trigger…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Find an alternative on AmazonWhich Maybelline lip balm & long-wear lipstick contains PFAS? Poor and Bad, we’d swap these
- emollient blend with waterproofing agents
- PFAS. Waterproof lip glosses commonly use fluorinated polymers or per/polyfluoroalkyl substances to achieve…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- liquid pigment suspension with waterproof polymer resin
- 1,4-dioxane (formulation byproduct). Liquid cosmetics using polyethylene glycol polymers or emulsifiers may…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- wax, pigments, silicones; waterproof long-wear coating
- Lead. Maybelline does not publish heavy metal testing reports for Superstay Ink. Synthetic color additives…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Liquid ink with film-forming polymers, waterproof binders
- 1,4-dioxane (trace solvent contaminant). Liquid cosmetics using ethoxylated surfactants or PEG-based solvents…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Film-forming polymers, silicones, waterproof coating
- PFAS. Maybelline does not disclose the water-resistant agent used in Superstay Gloss. PFAS compounds are…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- liquid ink suspension with waterproof film-forming polymers
- PFAS. Waterproof liquid lipsticks frequently use fluorinated polymers or fluorotelomers to resist water…
5 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Liquid gloss with waterproof film-forming agents
- Formaldehyde / VOCs. Lip glosses sometimes use preservatives that release trace formaldehyde; Maybelline does…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Find an alternative on AmazonBetter lip balm & long-wear lipstick from other brands
Graded higher than the Maybelline average of 49.
- Glycerin, silicones, pigments, film-formers (typical liquid cosmetic gloss)
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Fragrance allergens and undisclosed components
- Liquid lipstick, likely pigments, oils, and waxes
- Fragrance allergens or sensitizers
- Natural waxes and oils (beeswax, plant oils, pigments)
- Lead
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
The same question, asked of the other lip balm & long-wear lipstick brands
Best average grade first. Maybelline averages 49.
See every Maybelline product we grade on the Maybelline brand page, or the full lip balm & long-wear lipstick ranking.