Your Wrinkle-Free Clothes Are Off-Gassing Formaldehyde

Your clothes may be releasing formaldehyde into your skin. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen. It's used in wrinkle-resistant finishes on textiles, and those finishes don't wash out.

What the Research Found

A 2025 study in Reviews on Environmental Health combined an international literature review with a direct study of 291 airline employees forced to wear newly issued, formaldehyde-treated uniforms. Published in Rev Environ Health (Anderson-Mahoney et al., 2025), the research found that workers who wore the new uniforms reported skin and respiratory symptoms linked to formaldehyde sensitization.

The review also found that countries with stricter textile formaldehyde limits report lower population sensitization rates. The U.S. has no federal limit on formaldehyde in clothing. Europe does.

Where Formaldehyde Hides in Your Wardrobe

Any clothing labeled "wrinkle-free," "permanent press," "moisture-wicking," or "stain-resistant" is likely treated with formaldehyde-releasing finishing agents. The treatment is embedded in the fabric. Washing reduces the level but doesn't eliminate it.

Formaldehyde absorbs through skin, especially when you sweat. Heat increases off-gassing. Your gym clothes and work shirts may be the highest-exposure items you own.

GOTS-certified organic cotton doesn't use formaldehyde finishes. Neither do untreated natural fabrics. Browse non-toxic home essentials to find textiles that skip the chemical treatments.

Also see non-toxic kitchen essentials for safer alternatives.

Source: Anderson-Mahoney PJ et al. (2025). Unfinished business: formaldehyde exposure from uniforms and the case for U.S. textile regulation. Rev Environ Health.