Celebrate America’s 250th with Revolutionary Summer Savings
Celebrate America’s 250th with Revolutionary Summer Savings
Most people assume toilet paper is a simple, neutral product. It goes on the roll, it does its job, and it gets flushed. But what most people do not know is that conventional toilet paper often contains a surprisingly long list of chemical additives — substances that come into direct contact with some of the most sensitive and absorbent skin on your body, multiple times every single day. This article covers what the research says about the chemicals commonly found in toilet paper, where they come from, what the health risks are for adults and children, and how to choose a genuinely safer alternative. No alarmism – just the facts, clearly explained.
Chlorine is one of the most widely used chemicals in paper manufacturing. The conventional bleaching process uses elemental chlorine or chlorine dioxide to break down lignin the natural compound that gives paper its brown color and achieve the bright white color that consumers expect from toilet paper. The problem is that chlorine bleaching creates chemical byproducts called dioxins and furans persistent organic pollutants that accumulate in the environment and in human tissue. While modern elemental chlorine free (ECF) processes produce significantly lower concentrations of these byproducts than older chlorine bleaching methods, they do not eliminate them entirely. Many conventional brands continue to use chlorine-based bleaching without disclosing this on the label.
PFAS are a group of more than 10,000 synthetic chemicals developed in the mid-20th century for their remarkable ability to resist heat, water, and oil. They have been used in cookware coatings, food packaging, waterproof clothing, firefighting foam, and relevant here as processing aids and treatments in paper manufacturing. A 2023 study published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters tested toilet paper samples from North America, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa and detected PFAS in samples from all three regions. A parallel study from the University of Florida found PFAS in toilet paper samples across multiple product categories. PFAS are called forever chemicals because they do not break down naturally in the environment or in the human body. They accumulate over time, and long-term exposure has been linked to serious health effects including thyroid disease, immune suppression, and cancer risk.
Optical brighteners are synthetic compounds added to paper to make it appear whiter and brighter under ultraviolet light. They create the impression of a cleaner, purer product without actually changing the product’s composition. Dyes are added to produce colored or patterned toilet paper. Neither optical brighteners nor dyes serve any functional purpose in toilet paper they are purely cosmetic additions. However, both are among the more common contact allergens in paper products, and people with skin sensitivities can react to them. Optical brighteners in particular have been associated with contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals. There is no safety benefit to either ingredient only risk.
Fragranced toilet paper is one of the most common triggers for contact dermatitis and irritation in sensitive individuals. Synthetic fragrance compounds are complex chemical mixtures, and manufacturers are not required to disclose individual fragrance ingredients because they are legally protected as trade secrets under flavor and fragrance regulations. A single ‘fragrance’ entry on a product label can represent dozens of individual chemicals. People with allergies, asthma, eczema, or sensitive skin are particularly vulnerable to fragrance-related irritation. Importantly, ‘unscented’ and ‘fragrance free’ are not the same thing. Some unscented products contain masking fragrances that neutralize other odors without creating a detectable scent meaning an ‘unscented’ product may still contain fragrance compounds.
Bisphenol A – BPA is an industrial chemical used in plastic production and widely found in thermal paper receipts. When waste paper containing thermal receipts is recycled into pulp for toilet paper production, BPA can carry through into the finished product. Multiple studies have detected BPA in recycled toilet paper at measurable concentrations. BPA is an endocrine disruptor that can interfere with hormonal signaling even at low exposures, particularly in developing children and during pregnancy. Recycled toilet paper marketed as environmentally friendly may simultaneously contain higher concentrations of BPA than virgin fiber alternatives a tradeoff that most brands do not disclose.
The bright white color of conventional toilet paper does not occur naturally. Wood pulp is naturally brown, and achieving the white color consumers expect requires chemical bleaching at the manufacturing stage. Even brands that use elemental chlorine free (ECF) processing a safer alternative to traditional chlorine bleaching still produce some chlorine-based byproducts during the manufacturing process. Only totally chlorine free (TCF) processing, which uses alternative bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide or ozone, eliminates chlorine byproducts entirely. Very few mainstream brands use TCF processing, and most do not indicate which bleaching method they use on the label.
PFAS can enter toilet paper through direct use in the manufacturing process. PFAS-based compounds have historically been used as processing aids in papermaking applied to machinery, molds, and fibers to prevent sticking and improve production efficiency. Even when manufacturers do not intentionally add PFAS to the finished product, PFAS used in the manufacturing environment can migrate into the paper. This is one reason why PFAS testing of the finished product is more meaningful than relying on a brand’s claims about what they intentionally add. Third-party testing of the finished roll is the only reliable way to confirm PFAS-free status.
The recycled paper supply chain is inherently more difficult to control for chemical contamination than virgin fiber production. Recycled paper comes from a wide variety of source materials office paper, newspapers, magazines, food packaging, thermal receipts each of which may contain different chemical residues. PFAS from food packaging and receipts, inks from printed materials, and BPA from thermal paper can all end up in recycled pulp and carry through into the finished toilet paper product. This is the uncomfortable paradox at the center of recycled toilet paper marketing: a product positioned as the environmentally responsible choice may carry a higher chemical contamination risk than a properly sourced virgin fiber alternative.
The most immediate and commonly experienced health risk from chemicals in toilet paper is skin irritation and allergic contact dermatitis. The perianal region has thinner skin and more blood vessels close to the surface than most other skin areas, making it more susceptible to both irritation and absorption of chemical substances. Fragrance compounds, dyes, and optical brighteners are the most common culprits in toilet-paper-related skin reactions. Symptoms can range from mild redness and itching to persistent irritation, rashes, and in severe cases, open sores. For people with conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or hemorrhoids, the use of fragranced or additive-containing toilet paper can significantly worsen symptoms.
The health risks of PFAS exposure go well beyond skin irritation. PFAS accumulate in the body over time and have been linked to a range of serious systemic health effects. The most well-documented include thyroid disease and disruption of thyroid hormone production, suppression of immune function and reduced vaccine response, elevated cholesterol levels, reproductive effects including reduced fertility and pregnancy complications, and increased risk of certain cancers including kidney cancer and testicular cancer. The perianal region is highly vascular, meaning substances in contact with this area have a direct route into the bloodstream. Daily toilet paper use represents a consistent, repeated PFAS exposure route that most people have never considered.
Children are significantly more vulnerable to the health effects of chemical exposure than adults for several reasons. Children have a higher ratio of skin surface area to body weight, meaning they absorb proportionally more of any substance in contact with their skin. Their detoxification systems are less developed, making it harder for their bodies to process and eliminate chemical compounds. Many of the health effects associated with PFAS and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals including hormonal development, immune system function, and neurological development are most sensitive to disruption during childhood. For families with young children, choosing a non toxic toilet paper is one of the simplest ways to reduce meaningful everyday chemical exposure.
When choosing safer toilet paper, look for products that are explicitly PFAS free with third-party verification, completely fragrance free (not just unscented), free from dyes and optical brighteners, manufactured using elemental chlorine free or totally chlorine free processing, and made from virgin fiber rather than recycled pulp if BPA is a concern for your household. Be skeptical of vague marketing language like ‘natural,’ ‘pure,’ or ‘gentle’ these terms have no regulatory definition in the toilet paper category and can appear on products that contain the very additives they imply are absent. Look for brands that publish specific ingredient information and third-party test results.
Third-party testing means that an independent laboratory not the brand itself has tested the finished product for specific substances. The most credible third-party testing for toilet paper involves organizations like SGS, Eurofins, or Bureau Veritas globally recognized testing bodies with no financial interest in the test outcome. When a brand publishes the actual test results rather than just claiming certification, this is the strongest possible signal that the testing is genuine. Self-certification or testing by a proprietary lab paid by the brand is significantly less meaningful. Ask any brand making non toxic or PFAS-free claims to show you the test reports.
Throne Bamboo’s approach to product safety is built around verified absence rather than marketing claims. Every batch of Throne Bamboo is independently tested by SGS one of the world’s leading product safety and testing organizations to confirm the absence of PFAS, BPA, dyes, synthetic fragrances, and optical brighteners. We do not simply formulate without adding these substances and then assume the finished product is clean. We test the finished product to verify it. This distinction matters because, as discussed above, chemicals can enter toilet paper through manufacturing processes and supply chain contamination even when they are not intentionally added. Our paper is whitened using an elemental chlorine-free (ECF) process with hydrogen peroxide rather than elemental chlorine gas, the primary source of dioxin formation in conventional bleaching.
Throne Bamboo contains no PFAS of any kind, no BPA, no synthetic fragrances no masking fragrances and no detectable fragrance compounds of any category, no dyes or colorants, no optical brighteners, and no synthetic chemical softening agents. Our paper is whitened using an elemental chlorine-free (ECF) process with hydrogen peroxide instead of elemental chlorine gas, the primary source of dioxin formation in conventional bleaching. The paper and core are made entirely from 100 percent FSC certified bamboo fiber, bonded using a starch-based process and packaged in 100 percent plastic free recyclable materials. When it comes to what is in your toilet paper, we believe you deserve to see the evidence, not just the label.
