Would you put something on your body if you knew it could stay there forever?

Not as a badge of pride, but as a chemical that never breaks down, slowing accumulating every time you put a pair of safety gloves on?

That’s the reality of PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), a class of human-made compounds known as “forever chemicals” that don’t break down in the environment – or your body. Once used primarily in industrial and military applications, PFAS are now being found in leather safety gloves.

Designed to resist water, oil, and stains, PFAS are added to gloves to help boost performance. But under the surface, these chemicals pose serious risks. Studies link long-term exposure to certain types of cancers, hormonal/fertility issues, liver damage, and more. Even skin contact during daily wear can be enough to absorb trace amounts over time.

Most workers have no idea they’re being exposed – and that’s a problem.

Let’s take a closer look at PFAS in leather safety gloves: what are they, why they’re used, and what safer, high-performing alternatives look like, so you can make informed decisions about PPE that’s meant to protect you and your team.  

What are PFAS in gloves? And why should you care?

PFAS are a group of over 12,000 human-made chemicals, used in everything from food packaging and rain jackets to firefighting foam and industrial equipment. They’re designed to resist water, oil, grease, and heat, which makes them useful in demanding environments.

PFAS doesn't break down naturally; instead, they can accumulate over time in the water, soil, wildlife, and even human blood. Researchers have detected PFAS in nearly every part of the globe, including remote ecosystems and major drinking water supplies.

And yes, they’ve been found in leather safety gloves, where they’re used as a coating to improve water and oil resistance.

Most workers wearing these gloves every day have no idea that PFAS are even there, let alone that they can be absorbed through the skin during extended wear. This isn’t just an industrial pollution issue; it’s a personal exposure risk to worker health.

As we’ve discussed in our other Truth in Safety articles, there is a cost when you invest in cheap PPE – and that cost is significant. Cheap raw materials can be used in glove manufacturing to reduce costs, and PFAS are a prime example of this. PFAS-based treatments may perform on the surface, but they come with risks to your health, the environment, and compliance. In fact, gloves containing PFAS won’t meet REACH standards in the European Union, putting international safety programs, and the workers who rely on them, at risk.  

Why PFAS is used in leather gloves

PFAS are widely used in the leather industry for simple reasons: they work and they’re cheap.

Known for their ability to repel water, oil, and stains, PFAS are often applied to leather gloves to enhance durability and boost job performance. In high-risk industries like oil and gas, construction, and heavy manufacturing, gloves are expected to withstand exposure to slick surfaces, greasy tools, and harsh environments, and PFAS helps manufactures meet these demands by delivering surface-level protection without changing the base material or glove design.

Most commonly, PFAS is applied as a surface treatment, essentially sprayed onto the glove to give it a barrier against liquids and oils. PFAS chemicals help to ensure the base materials they bond to are not absorbing the oils and chemicals the gloves come into contact with. Without PFAS the base layers would absorb the chemicals or oils which will immediately start to degrade the product. This allows manufacturers to hit performance claims like "oil-resistant" or "waterproof" without modifying the structure of the glove itself. 

The risk behind PFAS resistance

PFAS are often added to leather gloves to check the box on oil and water resistance. But here’s the catch: these treatments aren’t permanent.

And that short-term performance boost comes with long-term consequences.

Once these chemicals come into contact with your skin, your body, or the environment, the damage begins to add up.

Research shows that PFAS-based coatings can degrade over time, wear off with use, or transfer through skin contact, especially in warm or sweaty conditions. In fact, research using human-skin models found that PFAS can enter the body through dermal exposure, with multiple types detected in blood-equivalent fluid after just 36 hours. And while their performance benefits might fade, the chemicals themselves don’t. PFAS can break down into smaller, more mobile byproducts that linger in the environment and build up in the body, contributing to long-term harm.

To make matters worse, these coatings are rarely disclosed on product labels. Workers often have no idea they’re handling or wearing gloves treated with PFAS, and that’s a problem.

But for all their short-term appeal, these coatings carry permanent consequences, ones that start with exposure and end with accumulation.

Health risks associated with PFAS

Research has linked PFAS exposure to a wide range of serious health issues, including:

• Hormonal and endocrine disruption
• Reduced immune response
• Liver and kidney damage
• Increased risk of testicular, kidney, and prostate cancers
• Reproductive and developmental problems

Even low-level exposure over time is a concern. And since skin absorption is now a proven pathway, workers don’t need to ingest PFAS to be at risk, they just need to wear the wrong gloves.

In real-world conditions, heat, sweat, and repeated contact, PFAS can migrate from glove coatings onto the skin. Once absorbed, these chemicals accumulate in the body, and they don’t break down. That means exposure doesn’t stop when the gloves come off.

Environmental concerns with PFAS

Much like the chromium concerns we addressed in a previous Truth in Safety article, PFAS-treated gloves don’t just pose a risk to workers; they’re also a threat to the environment long after they’ve left the job site.

When disposed of in landfills, PFAS can leech into groundwater, contaminating drinking water and agricultural soil. If incinerated, they can release toxic gases that are extremely difficult to contain – if not impossible. Because PFAS are so persistent, they can remain in the ecosystem for decades, if not centuries.

This is not just a workplace hazard – it's a global contamination issue. One that’s worsened every time gloves are manufactured, worn, and thrown away without proper recycling.

That’s why proper glove disposal and recycling matters if you know your gloves contain PFAS.

A safer way forward with OilGuard®+ sustainable leather treatment

The good news in all of this? You don’t need to rely on outdated chemical coatings to get a high-performing leather glove that’s resistant to oil and water – you just need smarter innovation.

At HexArmor® we don’t believe in cutting corners when it comes to safety – and that includes chemicals used in your PPE. We’ve developed a proprietary leather treatment that offers impressive resistance to oil and water exposure without relying on surface-level spray coatings or harsh chemical shortcuts. Our process uses food-grade ingredients and is completely safe for human contact.  

HexArmor’s OilGuard®+ leather treatment is:

• Built using a proprietary hydrophobic formula
• Made with high-quality food-grade additives
• Integrated into the leather during tanning – not sprayed on afterward
• Meets high level of oil resistance, Level 6 per ISO 14419
• Compliant with REACH and TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) standards 

Lab-proven performance:

• 480 minutes of oil exposure resistance (8 hours)
• 232 minutes of water resistance (about 4 hours)

That means you get long-lasting performance and durability – with a cleaner, more responsible approach to chemical treatment.

“Our treatment was developed over six months using green technologies with food-grade ingredients. It’s the first non-toxic, oil-resistant leather treatment designed specifically for the glove industry – and it works.”

— Dan Branson, HexArmor’s Vice President of Product Development 

Check out our Chrome Series® leather gloves – treated with OilGuard®+

Our Chrome Series® 5070 line features this next-generation leather treatment, delivering advanced oil and water resistance built right into the glove.

With added impact protection, durable construction, and OilGuard®+ technology, these gloves are designed to stand up to the toughest jobs, without relying on harmful chemicals to get the job done. 

HexArmor® can help

We're here to help you make safer choices both for your team and the planet. From removing harmful chemicals in your PPE to supporting proper glove recycling, our goal is simple: deliver innovation without compromise.

Reach out to your HexArmor® rep to learn more about recycling support and how you can build a smarter, safer PPE program. Call 1.877.MY ARMOR or send us a message.