Kudos diapers test non-detect for PFAS

By Moira Finicane

Dear Kudos community,

At Kudos, our mission has and always will be to bring you clean, safe, skin-friendly and planet-friendly disposable diapers. Given my own training as a material scientist and engineer, I am next level nerdy when it comes to what is in our Kudos diapers. In fact, the team and I spent over 3 years in research and development before launching Kudos, because we knew we could do better and didn’t want to go to market with anything less than the best for your baby.

That’s why, when, a few weeks ago, a study came out claiming to have found small amounts of PFAS chemicals in two samples of size 4 Kudos diapers, we took it very seriously.

Upon closer examination of the methodology of the study, as well as the extremely small sample size, inconsistency within the findings, and lack of clarity around how tested samples were shipped, stored, and handled, we immediately had our doubts as to the validity of the claims – even though we appreciated the motivation behind the study. Because we know how important it is that you trust what’s touching your baby’s skin (that’s why we created Kudos in the first place!) we didn’t want to stop there, however. So we sent our size 4 diapers into a trusted third-party lab for independent testing.

We just got back the results (you can see the signed report below) and are very happy (though not surprised) to share with the community that the lab did not detect PFAS in Kudos diapers.

We know there are probably a lot of questions about the initial study, and this new testing, so we’ve done our best to share some answers below. If you have any further questions, email us at hello@mykudos.com and we will get back to you.


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Where did you do your testing?

We sent our diapers to one of the industry’s most respected third-party labs, Vartest, for testing. Vartest specializes in textile and materials testing across numerous industries, including healthcare, hospitality, retail, and even the military. Kudos has no business interest ties to Vartest, and this testing was done completely independently.


What methodology did you use to test your diapers?

We conducted Total Organic Fluorine testing on the diapers, which is the same testing method Mamavation claims to have used to detect the trace amounts of PFAS in Kudos diapers. 


What are PFAS?

PFAS are an extremely large group of over 12,000 chemicals that are commonly used in industrial and commercial use, such as food packaging, nonstick cookware, water-resistant clothing, and other common household products. The vast majority of PFAS have not been studied. Research is ongoing to understand the potential health effects and environmental impact of these substances.


Why do you think your testing came back different than the testing in the Mamavation report?

There are a number of reasons why we think the testing mentioned in the Mamavation report had flawed results:

  • PFAS and Total Organic Fluorine testing is widely known to be susceptible to cross-contamination, especially when it comes to the shipping, storing, and handling of samples. This is because the use of PFAS chemicals is very common.
  • Mamavation also claims to have tested our size 5 diapers, which are made with the exact same materials and at the same facility as all of our diapers, and her testing did not detect PFAS chemicals in the size 5 diapers.
  • The diapers that Mamavation claims tested positive for small amounts of organic fluorine showed a wide variation among the reported results that were not explained in her blog post, suggesting potential problems with her testing and sampling methodology, which was not fully described. 
  • Based on the Mamavation post, it appears that an extremely small number of diapers was tested (two samples), which suggest that the results, even if accurate for those samples, are not statistically significant and prone to error.

Why were only size 4 diapers tested?

In the initial Mamavation report that was released, only size 4 Kudos diapers reportedly tested positive for PFAS. She also claimed to have tested size 5 Kudos diapers, but she did not detect any PFAS in that size (notwithstanding the fact that the size 4 and size 5 diapers are made with the exact same materials and at the same facility).


Had you tested Kudos diapers before for PFAS?

Kudos diapers have received the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certification, a highly-regarded industry standard for baby products, which means that they were tested for PFAS indicators and none were detected using  OEKO-TEX®'s rigorous testing standards.

 

Can we see the report results?

You can see the signed, verified report below.

 

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We know how much consideration goes into choosing brands that you trust for your baby, and earning and maintaining that trust is a responsibility we do not take lightly. We’re honored to have you in this community.


Sincerely,

Amrita Saigal

Founder & CEO, Kudos