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Are M&S, ProCook and Tefal pans PFAS-free?

What M&S, ProCook, Tefal, Salter and HexClad say about PTFE and PFAS, what independent tests have found, and how to check which coating your own pan has.

By the Untitan team Updated September 16, 2026 6 min read

Œuf au plat qui cuit sur une surface de cuisson en titane martelée

In this guide

How to read a frying pan label
Are M&S pans PFAS-free?
Are ProCook pans non-toxic?
Is Tefal PFAS-free?
Is Salter or Tefal better?
Is HexClad PFAS-free?
How to check your own pan
Uncoated options
Frequently asked questions
Sources

Some are and some are not, and the answer depends on the range rather than the brand. Tefal, ProCook and Salter all sell non-stick pans alongside ranges they describe as PFAS-free, while M&S does not state what its own-brand non-stick coatings are made of. HexClad says its current coating is free from PTFE and PFAS.

Key points

"PFOA-free" does not mean PFAS-free: PTFE, the classic non-stick material, is itself a PFAS.
Tefal, ProCook and Salter each sell ranges described as PFAS-free next to ranges that only claim to be PFOA-free.
M&S product pages describe a non-stick coating without saying what it is made of.
With an uncoated pan, the question does not arise.

For a comparison of materials, see our guide to the healthiest frying pan. This article answers a narrower question: what do the brands themselves say, and what have independent tests found?

How to read a frying pan label

Cookware makers are not required to label PFAS, so you have to work it out from what they choose to tell you.

PFOA-free is not PFAS-free

PFOA was once used to make PTFE. It is listed under the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants and has been banned in the EU since July 2020, so "PFOA-free" tells you very little. Which? makes the same point: a pan sold as PFOA-free can still contain other PFAS.

PTFE is a PFAS

Under the OECD definition, PTFE belongs to the PFAS family. Tefal does not dispute this: its UK site describes PTFE as a polymer within the PFAS family, which it considers safe. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) also sees no health risk from intact PTFE in normal use; the main criticism of PTFE concerns how it is made and disposed of. Our article on PTFE, PFOA and PFAS in non-stick pans explains the terms in full.

Ceramic, hybrid, titanium: names, not materials

Ceramic: a true sol-gel ceramic coating contains no PTFE, but Germany's Verbraucherzentrale warns that some "ceramic" pans use PTFE with added ceramic particles. Look for "PTFE-free" or "PFAS-free" in writing.
Titanium: Tefal uses "Titanium" as the name of a coating reinforced with titanium particles. Salter describes its Earth range as having a "titanium-based ceramic coating". Neither is a titanium cooking surface. Our guide to titanium coatings vs titanium pans shows how to tell them apart.
Hybrid: HexClad calls its pans "Hybrid". The name says nothing about the coating; the brand's FAQ does.
A maximum temperature: if the instructions say not to exceed 230 °C or 260 °C, the Verbraucherzentrale says PTFE is almost always involved.

Overhead view of a worn non-stick frying pan next to a pan with a titanium cooking surface — A worn non-stick coating next to an uncoated titanium cooking surface: what a pan is made of is in the specification, not the range name.

Are M&S pans PFAS-free?

M&S does not say. The M&S own-brand frying pans we checked in September 2026, including the Non-Stick Pro and Black Aluminium ranges, describe a "non-stick coating" or a "triple-coated, non-stick coating" without naming the material or mentioning PFAS or PTFE. M&S also stocks pans from other brands, such as Circulon ceramic pans, whose pages give their own details.

We found no independent UK test measuring PFAS in M&S pans. If the information matters to you, ask M&S for the coating material of the exact product code before you buy.

Are ProCook pans non-toxic?

"Non-toxic" is not a defined term, so it is more useful to look at what each ProCook range is made of:

Gourmet Ceramic: ProCook describes it as coated in a "PFAS-free, non-stick ceramic coating".
Professional Stainless Steel non-stick: the product page describes a "PFOA free non-stick coating", oven safe to 260 °C, without naming the coating material. PFOA-free alone says nothing about PFAS.
Uncoated ranges: ProCook also sells uncoated versions of its Professional Stainless Steel pans.

Is Tefal PFAS-free?

Not across the board. On tefal.co.uk, Tefal states that several of its product lines use a PTFE-based non-stick coating, and that it does not use PFAS considered carcinogenic by health authorities. It says it has not used PFOA since 2012, and that its Renew range has a ceramic Inoceram coating which, "due to its chemical nature, does not contain PFAS". Tefal also points out that it does not use Teflon™, a trademark owned by Chemours, although its coatings are made of the same material, PTFE.

Independent tests outside the UK give a sense of what is in practice:

UFC-Que Choisir, France (January 2024): 11 different PFAS were detected in the Tefal Ingenio Eco Resist, the most of any pan tested. The ceramic Tefal Renew On contained 3, at least ten times less than the PTFE pans.
Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg, Germany (April 2025): organic fluorine made up 37.65% of the coating of a Tefal Easy Cook'n'Clean pan. Tefal confirmed to the organisation that the coating is PTFE-based.

Is Salter or Tefal better?

We found no independent test comparing the two brands, so we cannot say which is better. On PFAS, though, both work the same way: it depends on the range.

Brand and range	What the brand says
Salter Earth	Forged aluminium with a ceramic coating that is "PFOA, PTFE, and PFAS-free"
Salter Expert stainless steel set	Stainless steel, described as PFAS-free
Salter Marblestone	Coating described as "PFOA-free"; material not stated on the product page
Tefal PTFE ranges	PTFE-based non-stick coating
Tefal Renew	Ceramic coating that "does not contain PFAS"

Is HexClad PFAS-free?

In its FAQ, HexClad says its cookware uses its own TerraBond ceramic non-stick coating, "which is PTFE-free and PFAS-free". The FAQ does not say when this coating was introduced. If your HexClad pan is a few years old, check the original packaging or ask HexClad which coating it has. We found no independent UK test of HexClad's coating.

How to check your own pan

Find the exact range and product code: the same brand often sells different coatings under similar names.
Read the specification: only "PTFE-free" or "PFAS-free" answers the question. "PFOA-free" does not.
Read the instructions: a maximum temperature of 230 °C or 260 °C points to PTFE.
Ask the brand if nothing is stated. You will not be alone: in June 2026, a German consumer organisation, Verbraucherzentrale NRW, found no PFAS information online for 18 of 31 frying pans it looked at.

Tip: take a photo of the box when you buy a pan. Years later, it is often the only way to find out which coating you have.

Metal spatula resting in an uncoated frying pan — A metal spatula in an uncoated pan: which utensils the instructions allow also tells you something about the surface.

Uncoated options

No non-stick coating means no PTFE. Stainless steel, cast iron and carbon steel are the familiar choices, each with strengths and drawbacks that we compare in our guide to uncoated frying pans. All of them need preheating and a little fat.

A titanium cooking surface is another option. It is the route taken by Untitan, a French brand based in Nantes: Untitan pan: titanium cooking surface, uncoated, PFAS-free. The hammered surface, properly preheated with a little fat, helps food release, and a stainless steel base makes it suitable for all hobs, including induction. Titanium conducts heat much like stainless steel, so it needs preheating, and it costs more than an entry-level non-stick pan.

A hammered titanium cooking surface with no coating: there is no non-stick layer whose composition you need to ask about.

Frequently asked questions

Does PFOA-free mean PFAS-free?

No. PFOA is a single substance, banned in the EU since 2020. A PFOA-free pan can still have a PTFE coating, and PTFE is a PFAS.

Are ceramic pans always PFAS-free?

Not necessarily. Some "ceramic" coatings contain PTFE, and UFC-Que Choisir found traces of PFAS in a ceramic Tefal pan. Look for "PTFE-free" or "PFAS-free".

Should I throw away my non-stick pan?

Not if the coating is in good condition: the BfR sees no health risk in normal use. Never heat it empty, and replace it once the coating is badly damaged.