BPA and bisphenols
Chemicals that harden plastic and line metal cans, and the replacements sold as BPA-free. They behave like hormones in the body at very low doses. BPA-free usually means BPS or BPF instead, which are structurally similar and less studied.
Definition and health context from NIEHS.
We checked 3,681 products for bpa and bisphenols and confirmed it in none, while 41 remain plausible and unresolved.
Where bpa and bisphenols turns up
Categories we grade, worst first, as a share of what we scored in each.
| Category | Flagged | Scored | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insulated Travel Mugs | 4 | 15 | 27% |
| Insulated Drink Tumblers & Travel Mugs | 2 | 15 | 13% |
| Deli Meat & Cold Cuts Packaging | 2 | 15 | 13% |
| Insulated Drink Tumblers | 2 | 15 | 13% |
| Coffee Cups | 1 | 15 | 7% |
| Countertop Filters | 1 | 15 | 7% |
| Hand Sanitizer | 1 | 15 | 7% |
| Hand Soap | 1 | 15 | 7% |
| Jewelry Cases & Organizers | 1 | 15 | 7% |
| Lipstick | 1 | 15 | 7% |
| Moisturizer | 1 | 15 | 7% |
| Food Storage Containers | 1 | 15 | 7% |
| Non-Stick Knife Sets | 1 | 15 | 7% |
| Lunch Boxes | 2 | 34 | 6% |
We confirmed it in nothing, and that is the finding
Every one of the 41 flags for bpa and bisphenols in this database sits at possible. No published ingredient list, test result or recall in what we have read puts it in a specific product we grade. That is a genuine answer to the question, and it is different from saying the products are clean.
What to buy instead
Highest scoring products with no flag for it, in the categories where it is worst.
- Zojirushi Zojirushi Stainless Steel Carry Tumbler95
- Zojirushi Zojirushi Stainless Tumbler95
- Zojirushi Zojirushi Stainless Vacuum Insulated Tumbler95
- Zojirushi Zojirushi 34 oz. Stainless Mug with Lid Handle95
- Zojirushi Zojirushi Stainless Tumbler SX-HA89H-AM95
- Thermos THERMOS Stainless Steel King Travel Mug95
How to spot bpa and bisphenols yourself
What is actually visible to someone holding the product, which for most of these is the only check available.
- A "BPA-free" claim, which usually means BPS or BPF was substituted rather than removed.
- Recycling code 7 or 3 on rigid plastic, and code 7 on older water bottles.
- The pale epoxy lining visible inside a food or drink can.
- Glossy thermal receipt paper, which is a skin-contact source people rarely think about.
Where it turns up outside our data
Can linings, polycarbonate bottles and food storage, thermal receipts, and the resin coatings inside some reusable water bottles.
What the rules actually say
The FDA banned it from baby bottles and sippy cups in 2012 and from infant formula packaging in 2013, and continues to permit it broadly elsewhere. The European Union adopted a far wider ban on bisphenol A in food-contact materials that began phasing in from 2025. There is no United States requirement to disclose which bisphenol replaced it.
Read alongside NIEHS and our state by state guide to PFAS bans.
Common questions
What is bpa and bisphenols?
Chemicals that harden plastic and line metal cans, and the replacements sold as BPA-free. They behave like hormones in the body at very low doses. BPA-free usually means BPS or BPF instead, which are structurally similar and less studied.
Which products contain bpa and bisphenols?
We flagged 41 of 3,681 graded products as plausible, and confirmed it in none of them. That is worth stating plainly. It means the material or the category makes it credible and no independent result has ruled it out, not that we found it. Insulated Travel Mugs carries the most plausible cases at 27%.
Is bpa and bisphenols in insulated travel mugs?
More than in anything else we grade. 4 of the 15 insulated travel mugs we scored carry a flag for it, which is 27%. The full breakdown per product is on each product page.
What can I buy instead?
In the categories where it turns up most, the highest scoring products with no flag for it are Zojirushi Zojirushi Stainless Steel Carry Tumbler at 95, Zojirushi Zojirushi Stainless Tumbler at 95, Zojirushi Zojirushi Stainless Vacuum Insulated Tumbler at 95. Every one of those was graded on the same rubric as the products above.
How can I tell if a product has bpa and bisphenols in it?
A "BPA-free" claim, which usually means BPS or BPF was substituted rather than removed. Recycling code 7 or 3 on rigid plastic, and code 7 on older water bottles. The pale epoxy lining visible inside a food or drink can. It turns up in can linings, polycarbonate bottles and food storage, thermal receipts, and the resin coatings inside some reusable water bottles.
Is bpa and bisphenols banned?
The FDA banned it from baby bottles and sippy cups in 2012 and from infant formula packaging in 2013, and continues to permit it broadly elsewhere. The European Union adopted a far wider ban on bisphenol A in food-contact materials that began phasing in from 2025. There is no United States requirement to disclose which bisphenol replaced it.
How do you know?
We do not lab test. Every grade here is built from published ingredient lists, materials, certifications, brand disclosures, recalls and third party lab results where those already exist. Where a product has been independently tested we use that result and say so, and where a brand publishes nothing we score the silence rather than guessing.
1% of everything we grade carries a flag for bpa and bisphenols. See every hazard we track or browse the full products list.