Quick take
- In the independent PFAS test we found, Consumer Reports (2022) detected none of the 96 PFAS it looked for in two ceramic-coated pans. That is two pans, one test, one point in time.1
- Two lab studies found that particles of titanium and silicon compounds can come off mineral-based nonstick coatings, more so when the surface is scratched or scoured hard. The abstracts we read do not assess health effects.34
- Brand reports from Caraway and Our Place say no PFAS were detected within the labs’ reporting limits. Those tests were arranged by the brands themselves.689
- Ceramic coatings released food less easily than PTFE in a 2024 lab study, and the Ecology Center says they are known for short useful lifespans.25
The short answer
“Safe” is not something a single lab report can show, and we don’t use the word for any product. What the evidence does support is narrower: a pan with a ceramic coating and a stated PTFE-free claim is unlikely to have a PTFE coating, and the ceramic pans in the PFAS tests we found had none of the tested PFAS detected.1289 What it doesn’t settle is what else comes off a coating as it wears, and how long it lasts.345
“Ceramic pans, those should be [PFAS] free.” Lee Ferguson, PhD, Duke University, quoted by Consumer Reports
Who tested what
The most useful question to ask of any test is who arranged it. Here is every test we cite on this page, sorted that way.
See the evidence: tests, who ran them, and their limits
| Test | Who arranged it | What was measured | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Reports, 2022 | Independent: CR tested pans from its own ratings. | Coatings scraped from 30 samples of each pan, tested for 96 PFAS. The two ceramic pans (Our Place Always Pan, Red Copper) had none of the 96 detected. A PTFE pan labeled PFOA-free had 16 of them.1 | Two ceramic pans. CR says other PFAS are “theoretically possible,” since there are thousands.1 |
| Ecology Center, 2020 | Independent nonprofit, funded by foundations and members. | Coating type, identified by infrared spectroscopy, on 24 pans bought at retail. The two pans labeled PTFE-free (Goodful Titanium Ceramic, Cuisinart Green Gourmet) had silicon dioxide coatings.2 | Identified the coating only. It did not test for PFOA, GenX or other individual PFAS.2 |
| Golja and colleagues, 2017 | Academic study (peer-reviewed). | Commercial nonstick coatings made of titanium dioxide and quartz (silicon dioxide) particles in a silicone matrix. Titanium-containing particles moved into test liquids, and scratch tests showed particles could be released.3 | Brands not named in the abstract. Abstract only. |
| Addo Ntim and colleagues, 2018 | Research paper (NIST publication record). | A “nanocoated” fry pan and a “nanoclay” sauce pot, abraded to mimic washing, scouring and scratching. Nanoparticles were detected under the harshest scratching.4 | Two products. Abstract only. |
| Caraway (Light Labs reports) | Brand-arranged. The report page says Caraway “partners with” the lab.8 | Caraway says its cookware is made without PFAS and that third-party labs test the materials that touch food.6 It says its coating is tested for over 600 PFAS, total organic fluorine and 20+ heavy metals, with “zero detected within reporting limits.”7 The ceramic cookware report lists results as “not detected,” last tested in September and October 2024.8 | Covers submitted samples at the time of testing, as the report itself says.8 |
| Our Place (Light Labs) | Brand-arranged. Our Place says it works with Light Labs.9 | April 2026 testing of its Thermakind ceramic coating for a panel of over 680 compounds. Our Place says PFAS were not detected within the methods’ reporting limits.9 | The page describes PFAS results. We did not find lead or cadmium results there, though the page says the coating is made without them.9 |
PFAS: what the tests found
This is the part with the clearest answer. Consumer Reports found none of 96 PFAS in two ceramic pans, and most of the scientists it consulted were “pleased but not surprised,” because PFAS aren’t needed to make nonstick ceramic cookware.1 The Ecology Center says a pan labeled “PTFE-free” likely doesn’t contain PFAS.2
How we know: what “not detected” means
“Not detected” means below what that lab’s method can measure, for the chemicals on its list. Caraway’s lab report defines it as “below detectable levels as defined by third-party lab tests.”8 CR’s chemist points out that most tests look for fewer than a hundred of the thousands of PFAS, and that “free” can mean below a set level.1 Panel sizes are also described loosely: one Our Place page mentions both “over 680 compounds” and “700+ analytes.”9 Ask which list applies to the product you are buying.
Particles: what can come off a worn coating
This is the less-discussed question. These coatings are not PTFE, but they are not just “stone” either. One study found commercial coatings were made of micron- and nano-sized titanium dioxide and quartz particles in a silicone polymer.3
See the evidence: the two particle-release studies
Golja and colleagues (2017). Researchers held three test liquids (water, 3% acetic acid and a citric acid solution) in contact with the coatings for 2 hours at 100°C. Titanium-containing particles migrated at up to 861 µg per liter, and titanium also appeared in dissolved form. Heating tests did not show the coating breaking down under foreseeable conditions of use, but scratch and friction tests showed possible release of microgram amounts of titanium-containing nanoparticles.3
Addo Ntim and colleagues (2018). Researchers simulated washing with scrubbing pads, scouring with steel wool and scratching with a tungsten carbide burr, using 3% acetic acid as the food stand-in. Titanium and silicon levels were generally higher after these treatments than in fresh pans. Titanium dioxide and silicon dioxide nanoparticles were detected under the most aggressive treatment, the tungsten carbide burr. Aluminum from the sauce pot also rose with use, with no detectable nanoparticles.4
What these studies don’t tell you. Neither abstract names a brand, and neither assesses what the amounts mean for health. We are reporting what was measured, not a risk.
Not medical advice
This guide is general information about published tests. It does not assess any health risk or advise on any condition. If you have a specific health concern, talk with a clinician.
Durability: how long the nonstick lasts
Ceramic coatings perform well when new, but the evidence on lifespan is less flattering. CR found its ceramic and PTFE pans “neck-and-neck” for cooking evenness and food release. In its steel-wool durability test, a few ceramic pans scored Excellent, while many PTFE pans did.1 The Ecology Center says ceramic coatings are “known for having short useful lifespans.”2
See the evidence: the 2024 lab comparison
A 2024 study baked pancake batter on four commercial coatings, two fluoropolymer and two ceramic, over 90 cycles. The PTFE and PFA coatings released the pancake at a pull-off pressure under 3 kPa. The ceramic siloxane coatings needed 15 to 34 kPa after 90 firings. The authors call sol-gel ceramic coatings “a promising alternative” that needs better abrasion resistance and nonstick ability.5
Claims, challenges and court cases
Ceramic cookware marketing has been challenged, in both directions. None of these cases is a lab finding about a pan, but each shows how claims get tested.
See the evidence: three disputes, in date order
- GreenPan, 2019–2020. A proposed class action alleged that claims such as “COMPLETELY TOXIN FREE!” and “HEALTHY CERAMIC NON-STICK” were misleading. It was voluntarily dismissed in December 2020 after the named plaintiff reached a settlement whose terms were not disclosed.11 GreenPan says the case ended with “no findings of liability and no admission of wrongdoing” and that its Thermolon coating is free of PFAS.12
- Caraway at the NAD, 2025. BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division found that Caraway supported its “free of PFAS” and “non-toxic” claims for its own cookware. It also recommended that Caraway stop or change comparative claims suggesting traditional nonstick cookware is harmful. The challenge came from the Cookware Sustainability Alliance, a coalition of cookware makers. Caraway said it disagreed but would comply.10
- Groupe SEB and Meyer v. Caraway, 2026. Groupe SEB USA and Meyer Corporation, U.S., which sell PTFE-coated cookware among other lines, sued Caraway in federal court in New York on February 13, 2026. They allege that Caraway’s advertising about PTFE cookware is false and disparaging. These are allegations in a complaint, not findings.13 Caraway publishes the complaint and says it is “not backing down.”7 We have not checked where the case stands.
How to read a ceramic pan’s claims
| You see | What it can tell you | Do | Don’t |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Ceramic” plus “PTFE-free” | The two labels that matched lab findings in the Ecology Center’s test.2 | Look for both together. | Assume every “ceramic” or “stone” name means no PTFE. Check the spec. |
| “Tested by an independent lab” | A lab ran tests on samples the brand submitted.89 | Open the report: which product, which chemicals, which date, what reporting limit. | Read “independent lab” as “independent study.” The brand chose what to test. |
| “Non-toxic” | A brand claim. CR’s writer calls it a marketing word with no legal definition.14 | Ask what was tested and against which limits. | Treat it as a test result. |
| A scratched or worn coating | Wear raised what came off in the particle studies.34 | Our take: use soft tools and gentle cleaning, and replace a pan once the coating is visibly worn. | Scour with steel wool. That was one of the abrasion methods in the 2018 study.4 |
A note on lead
Some writers stay cautious about ceramics in general. CR’s Tom Perkins notes CR testing found ceramic nonstick coatings did not contain PFAS, but writes that “because ceramics can sometimes contain lead” he prefers stainless steel, glass or cast iron.14 We found no independent lead test of a ceramic nonstick coating to cite here. Caraway says it tests for 20+ heavy metals, including lead and cadmium.7
What we don’t know
- Independent PFAS tests of most ceramic brands. The only independent PFAS test we found covered two pans in 2022.1
- What the particle-release amounts mean for health, and whether the coatings studied match those sold today.34 We read those studies as abstracts only.
- Independent tests of lead or cadmium in ceramic nonstick coatings.
- Whether brand reports cover every size, color and production batch. Caraway’s lab report says results reflect submitted samples at the time of testing.8
- How any coating performs after years of home use. The durability tests are lab simulations.15
Related: what PFAS-free cookware means, materials compared and the label decoder.