PFAS in Curtains, Same Brand, Two Different Grades

We graded 15 curtains and shower curtains from Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, West Elm, Parachute and Half Price Drapes. Ten plain cotton, linen and cotton-silk panels with no coating on record grade 75. Five curtains with a blackout lining or a light-filtering finish grade 30.

The split runs inside single retailers, not between them. Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Parachute each sell both an Excellent-graded panel and a Poor-graded one, so the fabric finish decides the grade, not the brand.

Summary comparison table

Product	PFAS grade	Material as recorded
Crate and Barrel Trevino Cotton Silk Blend Panel	Excellent, 75/100	Cotton-silk blend, no finish applied
Pottery Barn Seaton Textured Cotton Curtain	Excellent, 75/100	100% cotton, uncoated
Parachute Linen Shower Curtain	Excellent, 75/100	100% linen, no laminate
West Elm Emma Chamberlain Multi-Stripe Curtain	Excellent, 75/100	Cotton/linen blend, no finish
Parachute Waffle Shower Curtain	Excellent, 75/100	PVC, no coating disclosed
Crate and Barrel Floral Blackout Panel	Poor, 30/100	Polyester with blackout coating, composition unspecified
Pottery Barn Riviera Striped Curtain	Poor, 30/100	Polyester blend with light-filtering finish
Half Price Drapes Faux Linen Blackout Curtain	Poor, 30/100	Polyester faux linen with blackout coating, unspecified

How we graded these

Every grade here is a model-based estimate built from publicly available product information and manufacturer disclosures, not a lab test performed by our team. A high score means lower concern based on reviewed sources, never PFAS-free and never safe. Across the 15 curtains the spread is ten at 75 and five at 30. None of these brands has a PFAS statement on record for the curtains we graded. Look up any curtain in our PFAS product finder.

Why ten panels grade 75

Ten panels, plain cotton, linen, cotton-silk or PVC with no coating on record, earn a material credit and grade 75. This includes decorative panels from Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and West Elm, plus both Parachute shower curtains, the linen one and the waffle-weave one. An earlier version of this guide had the waffle curtain down as carrying a likely water-repellent coating; we corrected that on 17 September 2026 once we confirmed no coating is actually disclosed for it. None of these brands has published a PFAS statement, which keeps every one of them at 75 rather than higher.

Why blackout and treated curtains grade 30

Five curtains carry a blackout lining or a light-filtering finish. Blackout linings and stain-guard finishes are the kind of coating where fluorinated chemistry has historically been used, and none of the five comes with a stated chemistry, so our model treats the undisclosed finish as a treatment.

What to avoid

• Blackout curtains without a disclosed lining material. Every blackout panel in this guide grades 30, regardless of retailer.
• "Light filtering" curtains assumed to be untreated. Pottery Barn's Riviera Striped Curtain is not a blackout panel and still grades 30 on its finish.
• Assuming brand reputation predicts the grade. Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Parachute each sell both an Excellent and a Poor panel.

For related coated fabrics, see our upholstered furniture guide.

Our pick

Based on available materials and data, any of the ten uncoated panels grade well here, including the Crate and Barrel Trevino Cotton Silk Blend Panel and Pottery Barn's Seaton Textured Cotton Curtain. If blackout performance matters more to you than avoiding an undisclosed finish, every blackout-lined curtain in this guide trades that off at a lower grade.

FAQ

Do all blackout curtains contain PFAS?

Not necessarily. Every blackout-lined curtain we graded scored 30 because none discloses its lining's chemistry, which our model treats as a data gap rather than a confirmed detection.

Is a higher-priced curtain automatically a lower-concern option?

No. Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Parachute each sell both an Excellent-graded and a Poor-graded curtain, so price and brand are not reliable signals here. Check the specific product's construction instead.

Can PFAS in curtains affect my health?

Some research links certain PFAS compounds to health effects in population studies, but that is an association, not proof for any specific curtain. None of the products in this guide has been independently lab-tested for PFAS in the sources we reviewed.