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How I Rate Paint
This guide covers how I rate paints for their impact on your health. It explains what all the little symbols mean under the paints I list in the Healthy Design Shop, as well as under any product that has paint on it.
You can use it as a guide when searching for paint anywhere— the same information applies wherever you go. I rate paint for indoor walls and furniture. For information on specialty paints, including alkyds for metal and some cabinetry, I recommend this guide.
Read more about why I rate paint and materials here.
Paints should be assessed for their potential impact on your health with more than off-gassing VOCs in mind. While I’m thrilled to see the rise of no-VOC and low-VOC paints, there are many chemicals in paint that are harmful to health, even if you can’t smell them.
To stay organized and unbiased, I use the Standard Rating Scale to rate paints from healthiest to least healthy. Here’s a quick reminder about what each level on the scale means:
Healthiest option available.
Healthy, but doesn’t meet the strict standards of the blue dot.
Minimal health risk. Verified to be healthier than its standard counterpart.
Caution is warranted.
Well-known harmful effect on health and should be avoided whenever possible.
Here are the paint-specific requirements for meeting each level on the scale. Read on below for more details about terminology and specific examples.
Click on bolded statements to see links to research.
Third Party Certifications
What are 3rd party certifications and why do they matter so much?
Third-party certification means that an independent group that didn’t make the product, and has no financial ties to the product, has reviewed, tested, and verified the claims that the company making the product has made.
Third party certifications protect you. Just like greenwashing makes products appear better for the Earth than they really are, some companies intentionally make their products seem healthier for people than they really are, too.
No-VOC vs Low-VOC
While not official third-party certifications, these definitions do mean that the paints they apply to off-gas less than their standard counterparts. There is no formal set of rules for what qualifies as low VOC, and different companies define it differently.
Typically, low-VOC means there are less than 50 grams of VOCs per liter of paint.
No-VOC means there are less than 5 grams per liter.
Ideally, a company that states their products are no- or low- VOC also has certifications from Green Seal, GreenGuard, Master Painter’s Institute’s (MPI) Green Performance standards, or SCS Indoor Advantage verifying their claims are true.
What is GreenGuard GOLD certified?
GreenGuard certification is useful for finding paints that do not off-gas VOCs excessively.
To meet the standard GreenGuard level, VOCs must be less than 500 ug/m3. To meet the elevated GreenGuard GOLD level, VOCs must be less than 220 ug/m3.
A GreenGuard certification does not mean the paint is healthy overall (there are harmful chemicals that don’t off-gas as VOCs, like PFAS). It also does not mean there are no VOCs off-gassing from the product.
That said, it is a step in the right direction and it is still a useful certification when choosing between a standard paint and one with GreenGuard certification.
What is SCS Indoor Advantage certification?
Similar to GreenGuard, this is a certification verifying the product is truly no- or low-VOC. It is an independent laboratory.
What is MPI Green Performance?
Similar to GreenGuard, this is a certification verifying the product is truly no- or low-VOC. It is an independent laboratory.
What is Green Seal 11 (GS-11) certification?
Green Seal’s GS-11 certification means that a stain or finish is safer for human health than regular options.
It’s important to remember that VOCs are not the only dangerous part of stains, paints, adhesives, and finishes. There are many chemicals that do not smell that are issues for health. This is what the GS-11 covers.
They limit the levels of VOCs, as well as carcinogens, reproductive toxins, triclosan, phthalates, heavy metals, and others. You can see the full list here.
Paints
What are plant, mineral, and bio-based paints?
These all-natural paints have been used for thousands of years. Three popular options include:
Limewash paint: made of crushed limestone and pigments.
Clay paints: made of clay, pigments, and water.
Milk paint: made from milk casein protein, pigments, and plant-based binder.
Why are natural paints better than acrylic?
Four reasons natural paints are healthier than acrylic and other synthetic paints:
Mineral and clay paints can absorb VOCs, actually improving indoor air quality (similar to how baking soda can absorb fridge smells).
Natural pains are breathable, making them resistant to mold. This means no antimicrobials or fungicides (which are endocrine disrupting chemicals) need to be added.
No harmful synthetic chemicals are added like plasticizers, defoamers, stabilizers, benzene, toluene, chlorinated solvents (dichloromethane, trichloroethylene), xylenes, metals (cadmium, chromium, inorganic lead), styrene, PAHs, or aromatic azo dyes Read about the health issues associated with these chemicals here.
Acrylic paints are one of the largest sources of microplastics in our environment, and they have made their way into most humans bodies, detected in blood.
What is acrylic paint?
Acrylic paint is a mixture of polymers (plastics) and pigments. There are many different types of polymers that are all called acrylic paint.
These are usually blended with water, and can also be blended with plasticizers, defoamers, stabilizers, benzene, toluene, chlorinated solvents (dichloromethane, trichloroethylene), xylenes, metals (cadmium, chromium, inorganic lead), styrene, PAHs, or aromatic azo dyes.
Acrylic vs latex paint
Acrylic paint is a mixture of polymers (plastics) and pigments. There are many different types of polymers that are all called acrylic paint.
Latex paint refers to a different group of polymers/plastics, including vinyl and PVA.
To make this more confusing, this is all referring to synthetic, or human-made latex. This is different than natural rubber latex, which comes from a tree.
What are APEs?
APE stands for alkylphenol ethoxylates. They are used in paints as surfactants, which stabilize paints in their liquid form, and help the pigments blend together better. APEs were used in almost every paint until recently, as their health effects became well known.
Are APEs in paint toxic?
APEs, and the molecules they break down into, don’t biodegrade, are highly toxic to fish, are associated with reproductive disorders in rodents, and are suspected to be endocrine disruptors in people, too. Read more here.
Are there PFAS in paint?
Yes. The fact that PFAS are being used in paints is a newer discovery (2023). While whistleblowing groups don’t know exactly why PFAS are being used in paints, the suspicion is that they are replacing APEs, as APEs have fallen out of favor.
PFAS are also often used to make products more water-resistant or shinier.
Read why PFAS are so toxic to people and planet here.
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