PFAS in Leather Conditioner, Where the Waterproofers Grade Worst

We graded 62 leather conditioners, polishes and protectors. Most are fine by our measure. 50 grade 75 out of 100, recorded as oils, lanolin, beeswax, carnauba wax and flaxseed oil.

The low end is not the conditioners. It is the products sold to make leather waterproof or protected. Ten grade 30, and most of them are Kiwi, Armor All and similar protectant or waterproofing sprays whose coating is not described.

Summary comparison table

Product	PFAS grade	Formula as recorded
Tannery Premium Leather Revitalizer	Excellent, 75/100	Flaxseed oil
Griot's Leather Care Spray	Excellent, 75/100	Flaxseed oil base
Leather Honey Leather Conditioner	Excellent, 75/100	Natural wax and oil conditioner
Pirate Goods Leather Conditioner	Excellent, 75/100	Lanolin-based conditioning oil
Herman Survivors Beeswax Leather Protector	Excellent, 75/100	Beeswax-based leather polish
Meltonian All-Purpose Cleaner and Conditioner	Excellent, 75/100	Conditioning oils and waxes
Kiwi Kwik Wax Spray Conditioner	Good, 55/100	Wax-based spray, coating named
Kiwi Scuff Cover	Poor, 40/100	Wax-based scuff coating, composition unspecified
Kiwi Protect-All Waterproofer	Poor, 30/100	Waterproof coating, composition undisclosed
Kiwi Boot Protector	Poor, 30/100	Protective spray coating, unspecified
Armor All Leather Care Protectant	Poor, 30/100	Proprietary conditioning and water-repellent coating
Armor All Extreme Shield Ceramic Leather Treatment	Poor, 30/100	Proprietary ceramic and polymer coating blend
Bick 5 Complete Leather Care Spray	Poor, 30/100	Conditioner spray with water resistance

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 62 products the spread is 50 at 75, one at 55, one at 40 and ten at 30. Car interior cleaners filed here are excluded. Look up any product in our PFAS product finder.

Conditioning and waterproofing are different jobs

A leather conditioner puts oil or wax back into the hide. A leather protector or waterproofer puts a repellent layer on top of it. Our model responds to the second, when the repellent is not named, because water and stain repellent finishes have historically used fluorochemicals.

That is why the grades split the way they do. Oils, lanolin, beeswax and carnauba wax make up the 75s. Sprays sold as protectants or waterproofers, from Kiwi and Armor All, make up most of the 30s. Their makers say nothing about PFAS, and their coatings are described only as proprietary or undisclosed.

Kiwi spans three grades

Kiwi shows the pattern inside one brand. Its Kwik Wax Spray Conditioner names a wax coating and grades 55. Its Scuff Cover is a wax-based coating whose composition is not given and grades 40. Its Protect-All Waterproofer and Boot Protector are recorded with undisclosed waterproof coatings and grade 30.

A correction to the top of this table

When this guide was first published, two flaxseed oil conditioners, Tannery Premium Leather Revitalizer and Griot's Leather Care Spray, graded 75, and we said the fifteen points were a difference in the record rather than a finding. It was, and it was the wrong way round. Their makers say nothing about PFAS either, and their records had skipped the penalty every other silent brand carries. On 16 September 2026 we corrected that across the site, and both now grade 75 with the rest of the oil and wax conditioners.

What to avoid

• Leather protectors and waterproofers whose coating is described only as proprietary or undisclosed.
• Silicone or polymer protectant sprays sold for car interiors, used on leather goods you wear or carry.
• Assuming the brand settles it. Kiwi appears at 55, 40 and 30.
• Reading 30 as proof of PFAS. It reflects a repellent coating described without its chemistry.

For waterproofing leather and fabric more broadly, our stain guard spray guide covers the sprays, where the best-graded products are also leather waxes and mink oils.

Our pick

Based on available materials and data, for conditioning we would choose Tannery Premium Leather Revitalizer at 75 out of 100, a flaxseed oil conditioner with no coating recorded, though any of the 50 oil and wax conditioners at 75 is an equally reasonable choice. If you want some water resistance too, a beeswax product such as Herman Survivors Beeswax Leather Protector at 75 gets it from a wax you can see and reapply, rather than from an undescribed spray coating. These grades are estimates built from disclosed materials, not laboratory proof, and nothing here is being called PFAS-free or safe by us.

FAQ

Does leather conditioner contain PFAS?

Most leather conditioners in our data are recorded as oils, lanolin or waxes and grade 75. The products that grade 30 are mostly protectant and waterproofing sprays with coatings whose chemistry is not stated.

Is Kiwi leather protector PFAS-free?

Kiwi's Protect-All Waterproofer and Boot Protector are recorded with undisclosed waterproof coatings and grade 30, and Kiwi has no PFAS statement on record for them. That is not a finding that they contain PFAS.

Is Armor All leather protectant PFAS-free?

Armor All's leather protectants in our data are recorded with proprietary conditioning, water-repellent or ceramic and polymer coatings and grade 30. The formulations are not published, so our data cannot confirm the chemistry.

Is beeswax a good way to waterproof leather?

Beeswax is not a fluorinated material, and beeswax leather products in our data grade 75. How well it waterproofs is a performance question we do not measure.