By PFAS Authority · Updated September 6, 2026
Top grades to buy
Becca Cosmetics
BECCA x Chrissy Teigen Glow Gloss
Burt's Bees
3 Burts Bees Liquid Lipstick 802 Niagra Nude 0.2oz Ea
Burt's Bees
100% Natural Moisturizing Lipstick, Fuchsia Flood, 1 Tube, Pink
Model-based grades, not lab tests. We flunk more than we pass. How grading works
PFAS in Lip Balm & Long-Wear Lipstick, 240 Products and the Long-Wear Split
We graded 240 lip balms, glosses and lipsticks from Burt's Bees, MAC, Chanel, Maybelline, Wet n Wild, Urban Decay, Charlotte Tilbury, Clinique, Estée Lauder and dozens more. 193 wax and oil based balms, glosses and standard lipsticks grade 75. 35 long-wear, matte-liquid and "locked" formulas with a waterproof film-forming coating grade 30.
The split runs inside single brands, not between them. Chanel, MAC, Maybelline, Wet n Wild and Urban Decay each sell products in both tiers, so the formula, not the brand, decides the grade.
Summary comparison table
| Product | PFAS grade | Formula as recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Burt's Bees 100% Natural Moisturizing Lipstick | Excellent, 75/100 | Waxes and oils, no coating on record |
| MAC Lustre Lipstick | Excellent, 75/100 | Wax, oils, pigments, standard lipstick |
| Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss | Excellent, 75/100 | Silicone oil, waxes, pigments |
| Maybelline Lifter Gloss | Excellent, 75/100 | Pigments, oils, waxes, silicones |
| MAC Locked Kiss Ink | Poor, 30/100 | Silicone-based liquid ink, waterproof coating |
| Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick | Poor, 30/100 | Liquid ink, waterproof film-forming polymers |
| Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Velvet Ultrawear | Poor, 30/100 | Silicones, film-formers, water-resistant polymers |
| Urban Decay Vice Lip Bond Liquid Lipstick | Poor, 30/100 | Film-forming polymers, glossy liquid formula |
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 228 products the spread is 204 at 75 and 36 at 30. None of these brands has a PFAS statement on record for the products we graded. Look up any lip product in our PFAS product finder.
Why 193 balms, glosses and lipsticks grade 75
Standard cream and balm-style lipsticks, wax-based glosses and oil-based balms carry no coating our model flags as a treatment. That covers Burt's Bees' full line, most of MAC's Lipglass and Lustre shades, Chanel's Rouge Coco gloss and balm lines, and standard formulas from Maybelline, Wet n Wild and Urban Decay. None of these brands has published a PFAS statement, which keeps 75 as the ceiling.
Why 35 long-wear and liquid formulas grade 30
Long-wear liquid lipsticks marketed as "transfer-proof," "16 hour" or "locked" rely on film-forming or silicone-based polymers to resist water and transfer, and that is exactly the kind of chemistry where fluorinated compounds have historically been used. Records for MAC's Locked Kiss Ink, Maybelline's SuperStay and Super Stay Vinyl Ink lines, Chanel's Ultrawear liquid colors and Urban Decay's Vice Lip Bond and Hi-Fi Shine formulas all name a waterproof or water-resistant coating, which is what drops them to 30 while a standard lipstick from the same brand grades 75.
What to avoid
- "Transfer-proof," "16 hour" or "locked" marketing language. Every product with that kind of claim in this dataset grades 30.
- Assuming a brand you trust for balms and glosses grades the same on its liquid lipsticks. Chanel, MAC, Maybelline, Wet n Wild and Urban Decay each sell products in both tiers.
- Reading "silicone" alone as a red flag. Standard glosses like Chanel's Rouge Coco Gloss list silicone oil and still grade 75, since silicone itself is not what our model flags, an undisclosed waterproof coating is.
Our pick
Based on available materials and data, standard wax and oil-based balms and lipsticks are the lower-concern choice across every brand in this dataset. Burt's Bees' full line grades 75 consistently, and so do the non-long-wear formulas from MAC, Chanel, Maybelline, Wet n Wild and Urban Decay. If you want a specific brand's long-wear line, check the exact SKU in our product finder before buying rather than assuming the brand's other products grade the same.
FAQ
Do long-wear liquid lipsticks contain PFAS?
We can't say for certain, but 35 long-wear and liquid formulas in our data are recorded with a waterproof or water-resistant film-forming coating, the chemistry class most associated with PFAS use in this category, while standard balms and lipsticks are not.
Are Burt's Bees products PFAS-free?
Burt's Bees has not published a PFAS statement we could confirm. Its wax and oil-based formulas grade 75 because they carry no coating on record, which is different from a certified PFAS-free claim.
Why does the same brand appear in both the good and bad tiers?
Because the grade tracks the formula, not the brand. Chanel, MAC, Maybelline, Wet n Wild and Urban Decay each sell a standard lipstick or gloss that grades 75 alongside a long-wear or liquid formula that grades 30.
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