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How I Rate Wallpaper
This guide covers how I rate wallpapers for their impact on your health. It explains what all the little symbols mean under the wallpapers I list in the Healthy Design Shop.
You can use it as a guide when searching for wallpaper anywhere— the same information applies wherever you go.
Read more about why I rate wallpaper and materials here.
Wallpaper should be assessed for its potential impact on your health in four separate ways: the paper layers themselves (often referred to as backing), the ink and finishes applied to the paper, and the adhesive that attaches it to the wall. Each layer has the potential to elevate or diminish the overall health level of the product.
To stay organized and unbiased, I use the Standard Rating Scale to rate wallpaper 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 wallpaper-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.
What is GreenGuard GOLD certified?
GreenGuard certification is useful for finding wallpapers that do not off-gas VOCs excessively.
To meet the standard GreenGuard level, VOCs must be less than 500 ug/m3 of air. To meet the elevated GreenGuard GOLD level, VOCs must be less than 220 ug/m3 of air.
A GreenGuard certification does not mean it is healthy, and it does not mean there are no VOCs off-gassing from the product. Sometimes I see companies say “It’s GreenGuard so it’s healthy!” which is simply not true. There are harmful chemicals in wallpapers and other products that don’t off-gas as VOCs.
That said, it is still a useful certification when choosing between a standard product and one with GreenGuard certification. It is still a step in the right direction.
No-VOC vs Low-VOC
While not official third-party certifications, these definitions do mean the woods and 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 stain, finish, or adhesive.
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, or SCS Indoor Advantage verifying their claims are true.
What is the Nordic Swan Ecolabel?
This is a useful third-party certification for assessing the health of inks used on wallpapers.
In addition to strict ecological standards, this certification also covers several measures of health. For ink, it limits substances that are carcinogenic, toxic to reproduction, or damaging to DNA, and bans halogenated organic and fluorinated substances. It also limits the use of chemicals containing VOCs.
What does OEKO TEX -certified mean?
OEKO-TEX Standard 100. This certification applies to the finished product only, and can be applied to the wallpaper surface layer, depending on what chemicals, and how much of them, are left in the final product. While it does allow for some harmful chemicals, they are required to be present in much lower quantities than are used in standard materials. You can see their limits, which are updated annually, here.
Why is OEKO TEX a first choice for wallpaper, when it isn’t for textiles?
This is for two reasons.
First, as of now, there are no GOTS-certified wallpapers, so OEKO TEX is the highest standard currently available.
Second, wallpaper is a lower-exposure surface than textiles— you won’t be sleeping under, or cuddling with it, like you would sheets or blankets.
Wallpaper Inks
What are solvents?
Solvents are chemicals that keep glues in liquid form in the tube. They are used in paints and stains and other liquid-based home products, too, since they help keep substances liquidy and evenly dispersed until application. They evaporate from products as they dry, and inhalation is one of the ways we are exposed. They can also be absorbed through the skin if you come into contact with them.
Why are solvent-based inks toxic?
Inks are made of either mostly water, or mostly solvent. Solvents are chemicals that dissolve other chemicals into solutions, and typically are very smelly, releasing harmful VOCs into the air. They come from petroleum, and some are made with known carcinogens like toluene, benzene, and formaldehyde. Because of this, solvents are one of the priority classes of chemicals to avoid. Whether water- or solvent - based, many other chemicals are mixed in to make sure the ink prints evenly, is shiny, and is fade-resistant.
What is ECO-solvent ink?
ECO-solvent ink is still solvent-based, but it’s a milder solvent without as many VOCs as standard ones. They can be made with up to 50% plant-based materials like soy, or even the less-toxic portion of petroleum. Therefore, they are a better choice than standard inks, but not as healthy as those that are water-based.
What is titanium dioxide?
Titanium dioxide is a naturally-occurring mineral. It is sometimes used in inks, and is often found in food and pharmaceutical medications. When in powder form, it can be inhaled, and is possibly carcinogenic to workers that come in contact with it. The EU has limited its use much more sharply than the US. The risk is most likely low to you when it’s a printed ink.
Wallpaper Surfaces and Backings
What are plant-based plastics?
Also known as bioplastics, these are made from vegetables. Small molecules from starchy foods, like corn, sugarcane, and potatoes are extracted, then reacted in a factory with other chemicals to make polymers— the long chains of plastic that can be woven into fabrics like polyester or polypropylene.
You might have seen the term PLA (polylactic acid) being marketed as a filling in some blankets, for example. PLA is the most popular bioplastic available currently.
Are plant-based plastics healthier than petroleum-derived ones?
They are imperfect, but yes. Bioplastics can be processed with the same chemicals as regular plastics, leaving behind impurities like antimony on the final product. Flame retardants and plasticizers can be added to the final product, too, just like regular plastic fabrics. And, bioplastic is still new enough that there are still very few studies on its safety. On the other hand, using potatoes means less petroleum refining, which is a major cancer risk to all who live nearby and work in refineries.
Is polyester non-toxic?
Polyester comes from petroleum that is refined and then reacted with chemicals to make long chains of plastic that can be woven into fabrics. Polyester is the best-known synthetic textile, and is actually the same thing as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), what plastic bottles are made of. This is why you see so many polyester products advertised as being made from recycled plastic water bottles. Polyester itself is relatively stable once it’s made, meaning it doesn’t make its way into your body easily.
However, antimony is used in the chemical reaction to make polyester, and it remains on the polyester in the final product. Antimony is a metallic element that is associated with lung irritation, and is possibly carcinogenic. The process of making polyester poses cancer risks to the factory workers.
Again, because wallpaper is generally a low-touch surface once installed, this is not as high of a concern as it would be for a polyester blanket, for example.
Is polypropylene safe?
Polypropylene is made in a similar fashion to polyester, described above. Compared to polyester, it’s more rigid, can’t absorb any water, and is resistant to strong acids and bases.
Because it’s naturally more rigid, plasticizers like phthalates, along with stabilizers and fillers, must be added to polypropylene to make it flexible enough to fit in a wallpaper tube and roll smoothly onto the wall. While polypropylene itself is generally considered a relatively safe plastic for humans to touch, the additives are not safe.
Why is PVC wallpaper bad?
PVC is the most common wallpaper material, especially for commercial use, because it’s so durable. However, PVC is a priority chemical to avoid, as agreed upon by international groups because of its toxicity during its entire lifecycle— the production, use, and degradation stages. The US Green Building Council declares that PVC is “consistently among the worst materials for human health impacts.”
Vinyl chloride, the molecule used to make PVC, is an established carcinogen that causes lung, brain, liver, and rare cancers such as hepatic angiosarcoma. This is why the vinyl chloride spill in Ohio in 2023 was such cause for concern.
A 2010 investigative report found that over 50% of PVC wallpapers contained lead, cadmium, chromium, tin, and mercury. Phthalates are also added, as well as other chemicals to alter its rigidity, transparency, or softness. These are not chemically bound within the PVC structure, and easily leach out for absorption into the body.
At the end of its life, when people throw away PVC products into their trash, it is burned in municipal waste incinerators, releasing dioxins into the air. Dioxins are one of the most hazardous chemicals for people and the planet.
Last, vinyl wallpaper doesn’t “breathe” or allow air and moisture to pass through, necessitating use of a biocide, fungicide, or mildewcide coating. These antimicrobials disrupt hormone function, are associated with developmental and reproductive effects, allergen sensitivity, and antibiotic resistance.
What is “certified PVC with limited additives”?
Understanding that PVC wallpaper will still be a first choice for many designers (and even some homeowners) some companies do commit to using PVC with fewer additives. When choosing this type of wallpaper, the manufacturer should be able to show documentation showing they meet a 3rd party verification for each claim they’ve made. See an example here.
Wallpaper Finishes
Why are clay-based coatings suspect?
Two reasons.
First, sometimes the clay is titanium dioxide, a naturally-occurring mineral. It is bright white in color and opaque, so is a super-common and useful ingredient in paints and wallpapers, especially light-colored ones, or ones that need more opacity. When in powder form, it can be inhaled, and is possibly carcinogenic. The EU has limited its use much more sharply than the US.
Second, clay-based means clay is only part of the coating. The rest of the coating can be made with resins, polymers, and other undisclosed additives that may be harmful to health.
Why are minimal flame retardants in the “caution” category, instead of the “harmful” category?
Flame Retardants (FRs) are harmful, but for some commercial settings, where a certain level of flame retardancy is a requirement, choosing a paper made with less FRs is a better option than choosing one with excessive FRs. I prioritize paper that meets code with the fewest added flame retardant chemicals possible.
What harmful finishes are added to wallpaper?
As you can see below, added finishes are the place wallpapers struggle the most to be healthy:
➜ Heavy Metals
A 2010 investigative report found that over 50% of PVC wallpapers contained lead, cadmium, chromium, tin, and mercury.
Flame Retardants are well-known endocrine disrupting chemicals and do not meaningfully reduce flammability, but are still routinely added to wallpaper. Companies are not required to disclose whether their product contains Flame Retardants.
➜ PFAS
PFAS chemicals are added to wallpapers to make them more water-resistant or stain-resistant. PFAS are linked with lowered immune function, metabolic issues, reduced fertility, and a host of other health problems. They are also “forever chemicals,” meaning they do not break down in the environment. Companies are not required to disclose whether their product contains PFAS.
Plasticizers are chemicals added to wallpapers to make them more flexible and easy to hang. Phthalates and BPA are two well-known examples. They interfere with your hormones and are linked with a variety of reproductive and developmental issues.
➜ Antimicrobials
Also called biocides or mildewcides, antimicrobials are added to wallpaper that doesn’t allow for moisture to pass through (like PVC). They disrupt hormone function, are associated with developmental and reproductive effects, allergen sensitivity, and antibiotic resistance. For these reasons, they are considered one of the classes of priority chemicals to avoid. Inherently antimicrobial wallpaper is a healthier option— ones that have microventing for air and water permeability, or are made with natural, breathable cellulose.
Wallpaper Adhesives
What are biocides and why are they in wallpaper adhesives?
Biocides, also called mildewcides, fungicides, or antimicrobials, are added to wallpaper that doesn’t allow for moisture to pass through (like PVC). They can help prevent the growth of mold and mildew, but they disrupt hormone function, are associated with developmental and reproductive effects, allergen sensitivity, and antibiotic resistance. For these reasons, they are considered one of the classes of priority chemicals to avoid.
What is EVA?
EVA is short for ethylene vinyl acetate. Even though it has the word vinyl in it, it’s chemical structure and properties are very different than PVC (polyvinyl chloride, also just called “vinyl”). It is the sticky part of peel-and-stick wallpaper. While not perfect, it’s also not carcinogenic, and is generally a less toxic plastic-based adhesive choice. Read more about EVA here.
