Do you know what’s in your paint? Healthier Paints Resources

When choosing paint, most designers focus on color and performance, and cost. At Healthy Materials Lab, we start by asking other questions: What is it made of? How and where was it produced? Who is exposed to the ingredients in the process of making it? These questions reveal that conventional paint is not only a benign decorative surface finish, but a liquid plastic product whose ingredients and life cycle can affect human health, ecologies, climate, and workers across the supply chain.

Most common acrylic or “latex” paints originate from fossil fuels, with binders derived from petrochemical resins and additives such as VOCs, phthalates, and sometimes PFAS. Research by Habitable (Healthy Building Network) found that approximately half of commercially available paints contain PFAS, and plastic-based paints are now among the largest sources of microplastic leakage into oceans and waterways, surpassing textile fibers and tire dust.

That’s why we built the Healthier Paints Research Guide, a curated collection of studies, reports, and articles shaping our thinking on PFAS in paint, microplastic pollution, and the shift toward post-petroleum, mineral- and plant-based coatings. It’s made for designers, architects, and material researchers who want to go beyond color swatches and ask harder questions about what’s actually in the can.

Continue reading the guide here.

Become confident recommending healthier paints. Join our 1.5-hour Healthy Paint Masterclass to learn how to assess paints, reduce toxics, and support healthier spaces —all while earning your valuable CEU credits.

Need a healthier paint product now? Explore our vetted picks and get quick support in HML’s Material Collections portal.