Texas probe into Lululemon spotlights PFAS risks in activewear

Lululemon’s polished wellness promise hit a hard stop in Texas, where Ken Paxton’s office opened a civil probe into whether the brand misled shoppers about PFAS in its activewear. The question is blunt: can a label built on performance, health, and a pristine, body-conscious aesthetic also carry the chemistry of so-called forever chemicals without telling customers plainly enough?

The Texas Attorney General’s office issued a Civil Investigative Demand to Lululemon USA Inc. on April 13, 2026, focusing on whether the company’s marketing gave consumers the wrong impression about the possible presence of PFAS. No wrongdoing has been found yet, but the scrutiny lands in the center of a fashion category that sells aspiration as much as fabric. Texas officials said the concern was whether health-conscious customers were misled; Bloomberg and CNBC reported that Lululemon’s shares fell after the announcement.

Lululemon denied the claims and said it phased out PFAS in 2023. The company also said the chemicals had only ever been used in a small number of water-repellent items. That defense matters because PFAS are not some obscure lab footnote. They are widely used in stain- and water-repellent textiles, and they persist in the environment long after a garment leaves the store and enters the wash.

That longer tail is exactly why the activewear category is under pressure. A 2022 study found that aging, washing, and tumble drying PFAS-based water-resistant clothing can increase the amount released from garments. In other words, the finish that makes a jacket shed rain or a legging resist a spill can also make the chemistry harder to contain over time. The problem is not just what is sold on the rack, but what comes off it in daily wear, laundering, and disposal.

The Texas probe also lands against a tightening state-by-state rulebook. New York’s apparel law bans the sale of new clothing containing intentionally added PFAS starting January 1, 2025, and California, Colorado, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington have each adopted apparel or textile restrictions with different effective dates. That patchwork is a warning to brands that “technical innovation” and “green” branding no longer excuse vague chemistry claims. For performance wear to deserve its clean-image pricing, it will need proof, not polish: clear disclosure, verified phase-outs, and materials that can survive scrutiny as well as a sprint.