Rain & Stain 6.0 oz vs Waterproofing Wax for Leather: which is safer?
Nikwax Waterproofing Wax for Leather is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Merrell
Rain & Stain 6.0 oz
PFAS grade
Poor 40/100
Overall grade
Poor 32/100
Verdict
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Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
textile with water-repellent coating water/stain repellent coating
Confidence
45%
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating
PossibleCoating degradation and particle shedding
Our pick
Nikwax
Waterproofing Wax for Leather
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 51/100
Verdict
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Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
wax-based waterproofing
Confidence
78%
PossibleRespiratory irritation or fume inhalation during application
ReportedPFAS in water repellency treatment
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PFAS in DWR coating and Coating degradation and particle shedding on the Merrell and not on the Nikwax.
- We flag Respiratory irritation or fume inhalation during application and PFAS in water repellency treatment on the Nikwax and not on the Merrell.
- The Merrell is textile with DWR water/stain repellent coating where the Nikwax is wax-based waterproofing, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 25 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Nikwax is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Merrell grade, at 45% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More fabric stain guard sprays: see the full ranking