Texas Is Investigating Lululemon Over 'Forever Chemicals' — Here's What It Means for Your Activewear
TL;DR: In April 2026, the Texas Attorney General opened an investigation into whether Lululemon misled customers about "forever chemicals" (PFAS) in its activewear. It's an investigation, not a lawsuit or a finding of wrongdoing — and Lululemon says it does not use PFAS and phased them out of its water-repellent products in 2023. But the bigger story is the one that outlives any single brand: PFAS get into activewear through synthetic performance finishes, and the only way to take the question off the table entirely is to wear natural fibers that never needed those finishes in the first place.
If you train in synthetic activewear, you've probably never thought about what makes it water-resistant, stain-resistant, or "quick-dry." A recent move by the State of Texas is a good reason to start. Here's what's actually happening, what PFAS are, and what it means for what you put on your skin every day.
What is the Texas attorney general investigating Lululemon for?
On April 13, 2026, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a Civil Investigative Demand to Lululemon — a formal request for documents and information, not a lawsuit. The investigation is looking into whether the company engaged in greenwashing: misleading health-conscious customers about the "safety, quality, and health impacts" of its products with respect to PFAS, the class of synthetic compounds known as "forever chemicals."
According to the Attorney General's office, the probe includes a review of Lululemon's restricted substances list, its testing protocols, and its supply chain — to evaluate whether its products line up with the safety standards the brand markets.
Two things to be clear about:
- This is an investigation, not a verdict. A Civil Investigative Demand is an information-gathering step. No court has found Lululemon did anything wrong.
- Lululemon denies using PFAS. The company stated it "does not use PFAS in its products" and phased the substances out of its durable water-repellent items — "a small percentage of our assortment" — in fiscal year 2023. It also says it requires third-party testing for restricted substances and is cooperating with the inquiry.
For context, this isn't Paxton's first move on forever chemicals: in 2024, his office sued chemical manufacturers 3M and DuPont over PFAS. The Lululemon inquiry signals that the same scrutiny is now reaching consumer apparel — which is why it matters far beyond one brand.
What are PFAS, or "forever chemicals"?
PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals used since the 1940s to make products resist water, grease, and stains. They're called "forever chemicals" because the carbon-fluorine bonds that make them so durable also make them break down extremely slowly, both in the environment and in the human body.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, certain PFAS have been linked in research to a range of health concerns, including effects on cholesterol levels, the immune system, hormone function, and an increased risk of some cancers. The science is still developing — PFAS is a large and varied class of chemicals, and not all are equally studied — but the broad regulatory direction in both the U.S. and EU has been toward restricting them.
The key point for activewear: PFAS are not a natural byproduct of fabric. They're added — deliberately — to give synthetic textiles certain performance properties.
Why are PFAS in activewear in the first place?
PFAS end up in workout clothes mainly through performance finishes applied to synthetic fabrics. The most common culprit is durable water repellent (DWR) — the invisible coating that makes water bead up and roll off a jacket or a pair of leggings. Stain-resistant and "quick-dry" treatments can rely on similar chemistry.
So the risk isn't evenly spread across all clothing. It concentrates in:
- Water-, stain-, and sweat-repellent finishes (DWR coatings)
- Synthetic performance fabrics — polyester, nylon, and their blends — which are the substrate these finishes are designed for
This is why the conversation keeps landing on synthetic activewear specifically. A garment built to repel water using a chemical coating is exactly the kind of product where forever chemicals have historically shown up. A garment with no such coating has no reason to contain them.
It's worth saying plainly: many brands, Lululemon included, have moved to phase PFAS out of their finishes. The industry is shifting. But "phasing out a finish" still leaves you depending on a brand's supply chain and testing to verify what's actually in the fabric — for a property your clothes only need because they're synthetic to begin with.
Are forever chemicals in my workout clothes dangerous?
The honest answer: it depends on the garment, and the research is still catching up. Wearing a treated jacket occasionally is a very different exposure profile than spending hours a day, several days a week, sweating in treated fabric against open pores.
What we can say with confidence:
- PFAS persist. They don't readily leave the environment or the body, which is the entire reason they draw regulatory concern.
- Exposure adds up. Clothing is one of many PFAS exposure routes (water, food packaging, and cookware are others), and the total "body burden" is what researchers worry about.
- The certainty isn't all there yet. No one can hand you a study that says "this pair of shorts will harm you." What exists is a consistent pattern of concern strong enough that regulators on two continents are acting on it.
When the evidence is incomplete but the downside is "a chemical that never leaves your body," a lot of people reasonably decide they'd rather not roll the dice with the clothes they sweat in daily. That's not alarmism — it's the same precautionary logic you'd apply to anything you're exposed to repeatedly over years.
How do you avoid PFAS in activewear?
The most reliable way to avoid forever chemicals in your workout clothes is to avoid the finishes and fabrics they live in. A few practical filters:
- Choose natural fibers. Organic cotton, merino wool, hemp, and linen don't require synthetic performance coatings to do their job. Wool regulates temperature and resists odor naturally; cotton breathes. There's no DWR finish to worry about because the fiber never needed one.
- Be skeptical of "water-repellent," "stain-resistant," and aggressive "quick-dry" claims. Those properties are the signature of the chemistry you're trying to avoid.
- Look for third-party testing, not just brand promises. Certifications like OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 test finished textiles against a long list of harmful substances and ban the intentional use of PFAS, with strict limits on total fluorine and individual regulated PFAS (tightened again as of January 1, 2026). Note: OEKO-TEX tests for PFAS and bans intentional use — it does not label a product "PFAS-free," so treat any blanket "PFAS-free" marketing claim with healthy skepticism.
This is the entire reason Wayve exists. Our Quad Short is built from a 290GSM brushed-terry shell of 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton, with a 100% merino wool jersey liner — no polyester, no nylon, no durable water repellent finish anywhere in the garment. The materials are OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified, meaning they're independently tested against harmful substances, including a ban on intentionally added PFAS.
We don't make our shorts repel water with a chemical coating. We make them out of fibers that perform on their own. When there's no synthetic finish in the first place, "are there forever chemicals in this?" stops being a question you have to trust a brand to answer.
The bigger takeaway
The Lululemon investigation will run its course, and Lululemon may well be cleared — it says it stopped using these substances years ago, and that's worth taking seriously. But the reason a state attorney general is looking at activewear at all is bigger than one company: it's that synthetic performance clothing and the chemistry used to enhance it have earned scrutiny.
You can wait to see how the regulations land. Or you can opt out of the entire category of risk by wearing clothes made from materials that never relied on forever chemicals to begin with. That's not a trend. That's just choosing fibers that were always safe to sweat in.
FAQ
Q: Was Lululemon sued over PFAS? A: No. As of June 2026, the Texas Attorney General opened an investigation (a Civil Investigative Demand) in April 2026 into possible greenwashing related to PFAS. It is not a lawsuit, and no court has found wrongdoing. Lululemon says it does not use PFAS and phased them out of its water-repellent products in 2023.
Q: Does activewear contain PFAS? A: Some does, some doesn't. PFAS get into activewear primarily through durable water repellent (DWR) finishes and other performance treatments applied to synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon. Natural-fiber garments without water-repellent finishes have no reason to contain them.
Q: How do I find PFAS-free workout clothes? A: Choose natural fibers (organic cotton, merino wool, hemp, linen), avoid "water-repellent" and "stain-resistant" finishes, and look for independent testing such as OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, which bans intentionally added PFAS and tests to strict limits. Be cautious of blanket "PFAS-free" labels, since most certifications confirm testing and limits rather than guaranteeing zero.
Q: Are "forever chemicals" really that bad? A: PFAS are a large class of chemicals, and the research is still developing. But certain PFAS have been linked by the EPA and others to effects on cholesterol, the immune system, hormones, and cancer risk, and they persist in the body and environment — which is why regulators in the U.S. and EU are restricting them. For clothing you sweat in for hours each week, many people choose to minimize exposure rather than wait for complete certainty.
Sources: Office of the Texas Attorney General press release (April 13, 2026); ESG Dive and The Hill reporting on the Lululemon Civil Investigative Demand; FOX 7 Austin (Lululemon statement); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on PFAS and health; OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 PFAS restrictions and testing criteria (Hohenstein / OEKO-TEX, 2025–2026 updates). This article is informational and describes an ongoing investigation; it does not allege that any company's products are unsafe or violate the law.