Nothing can transform a room quite like a new coat of paint, but when it comes to choosing one, many people zero in on one factor: color. Not much thought is given to what the paint we use is made from, even though it will surround us every day.

The truth is that most conventional paints are made from non-renewable fossil fuels and contain chemicals that are toxic and deeply harmful to both human health, ecosystems and the wider environment. But thanks to a growing number of brands, manufacturers and paint chemists on a mission to transform the industry, healthier and less damaging natural paints are taking an ever-growing market share. Before you refresh your walls, here’s what you need to know.

Close up of microplastics. Photo courtesy of Pcess609/Adobe Stock

The Problem With Paint

Modern paints, including those household brands we love, usually contain around 40 percent plastic. Most conventional paint also contains added microbeads. According to research by Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, particles of paint abraded from coated surfaces or in the form of disposed paint, account for 58 percent of the microplastics that end up in the world’s watercourses and oceans each year, outweighing textile fibers and tire dust.

Responsible for untold ecological damage, microplastics do not biodegrade and can pass through sewage treatment works. They accumulate on land and sea and have even been found in Antarctic snow. There is also increasing evidence that these small particles can circulate throughout our bodies, damaging human tissues and organs.

"The truth is that most conventional paints are made from non-renewable fossil fuels and contain chemicals that are toxic and deeply harmful to both human health, ecosystems and the wider environment."

Thousands of health-compromising chemical compounds – ranging from heavy metals, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and mutagens, to reproductive toxins – are often used in conventional paint. Many of these chemicals also give off harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These compounds have a high vapor pressure at room temperature, and a low boiling point, passing molecules into the surrounding air through a process known as ‘off-gassing’.

Emma Pugliares, the marketing director at non-toxic paint supplier ECOS, explains that the three most common chemicals found in mainstream paints, which give off harmful VOCs are benzene, toluene and formaldehyde. Interestingly, dark paint colors tend to have a higher concentration of these chemicals than lighter hues. This is because dark colors require more pigment, aka more chemicals.

Extensive studies have been published into the negative effects of some VOCs, with symptoms ranging from headaches and dizziness in the short-term through to an increase in the risk of certain types of cancer when exposed to them long-term. According to The US Environmental Protection Agency, these chemicals can hang around in the air awhile too; it’s not just during the painting process that exposure happens. Indoor vapor emissions from paint can off-gas for up to six months.

Photo courtesy of Alkemis Paint

Photo courtesy of Rose Uniacke Paint

What’s the Alternative?

Modern paint manufacturing is deeply carbon intensive and uses an arsenal of chemicals. But here’s the good news: some leaders in the industry have taken notice and companies are beginning to formulate healthier and more environmentally-friendly alternatives. For example, Alkemis champions indoor air quality and environmental wellbeing with its hand-crafted mineral paints. Free from plasticizers, VOCs and synthetic additives, its formulations are 100 percent vapor-permeable, helping to prevent mold while supporting a healthier home. Using sustainable raw materials and clear quartz as a base, each paint is infused with natural pigments and minerals such as hematite and goethite – functional wellness ingredients believed to help neutralize toxins, emit positive ions and reduce stress. The result is a velvet-matte finish that’s as durable as it is beautiful, with a lifecycle far exceeding conventional paint.

Color No. 48 Nothing But Flowers by Alkemis Paint "Paint your walls with rock instead of plastic". Photo courtesy of Joe Kramm

ECOS’s products are water-based and Pugliares says that no ingredients with harsh fumes typically associated with conventional paints are used. In 2014, the brand became the first North American paint manufacturer to achieve the International Living Future Institute's Declare Label and Red List Free designation, disclosing full ingredients lists and test results for their products. (Here’s an example of what that looks like.)

British paint company Edward Bulmer uses natural (rather than acrylic) binders which have no harmful VOCs and have a high degree of breathability. Edward Bulmer is on a mission to avoid any petrochemicals across their entire range in the future, and they publish lists of the ingredients and mineral pigments that go into their products. A number of their paints are even compostable.

James Greenwood, a paint expert at Graham & Brown explains that their company is increasingly selling only water-based paints, which have less of an impact on the environment and don’t produce VOCs (the company claims their packaging is all 100 percent recyclable too).

Edward Bulmer Natural Paint in Jonquil on the sitting room wallsdesigned by Thea Speke. Photo courtesy of Indiana Petrucci

Edward Bulmer Natural Paint in French Grey on the living room walls designed by Studio QD Interiors. Photo courtesy of Mary Wadsworth

German manufacturer AURO has been a leader in eco-friendly paints made from plants and minerals for over 40 years. Pioneering what they call ‘gentle chemistry’, they run research laboratories and their team of engineers have been responsible for some of the most innovative breakthroughs in the sector. AURO also manufactures for other eco paint brands, and (perhaps consequently) no-one we spoke to for this article had a bad word to say about them.

Little Greene is a premium brand that claims virtually zero VOCs in their water-based paints. Ruth Mottershead, the brand’s creative director says that their oil-based paints are eco-conscious too, made with sustainable vegetable oils. “We insist on using the finest natural, organic, and safe synthetic pigments, which give superb depth of color, high covering power and the long life expected from modern paints.” 

Graphenstone is another British natural paint company whose breathable product range uses no micro-beads nor petrochemicals, but rather a carbon-based graphene binder. They’ve achieved gold certification from the Cradle to Cradle institute and have a range of non-toxic mineral-based paints in beautiful nature-inspired tones.

Walls painted in Lute by Edward Bulmer. Photo courtesy of Jake Curtis

Eco-labels and a Note on Greenwashing

One way to buy healthier paints is to look for products that meet the strict VOC emissions standards of the CDPH Standard Method, or to look for Greenguard Certification, both awarded by UL Solutions. Parsons Healthy Materials Lab also recommends looking for paints that meet the Green Seal-11 (GS-11) standard from 2010 or later. This certification limits the content of VOCs and prohibits other potential hazards. They also recommend opting for mineral-based or linseed oil paints wherever possible.

But Edward Bulmer cautions about greenwashing in the industry, noting that there is no enforceable environmental regulation in the paint industry at present, keeping the brand’s marketing claims in check. Bulmer challenges his peers in the industry to join the campaign against plastic paint and to publish their ingredient lists. “Most brands hide behind their packaging, good business practice, attractive marketing – they don’t tell you the dirty fossil fuel truth about their paint,” he says. “Even ‘carbon neutral’ and ‘climate positive’ paint brands are hiding the full truth behind the green carbon-offset label.”

By seeking out low-VOC, natural or mineral-based paints, you’re supporting brands that are putting your health first – a way to vote with your dollars that puts pressure on other paint brands to do the same. As mentioned above, when paint isn’t disposed of properly, harmful chemicals will end up in soil and water, so proper disposal is important to keep in mind. Do not pour paint down the drain; this is one way it can cause environmental pollution. Instead, contact your local hazardous waste disposal agency for details on where you can drop off unused paint so it can be disposed of properly.

Into the Void (116) mineral paint by Alkemis Paint. Photo courtesy of Alkemis Paint

Graham & Brown's low-VOC Elderton Paint in brown. Photo courtesy of Graham & Brown

Little Greene’s low-VOC paint in Affogato. Photo courtesy of Little Greene

Feature Image: Rose Uniacke Paint

Photography: Pcess609/Adobe Stock, Alkemis Paint, Rose Uniacke Paint, Alkemis Paint by Joe Kramm, Edward Bulmer by Indiana Petrucci, Edward Bulmer by Mary Wadsworth, Edward Bulmer by Jake Curtis, Graham & Brown, Little Greene

Further Info

Low VOC Paints (Healthy Materials Lab, The New School Parsons) Lifting the Lid (Edward Bulmer Paint) Standard Method for the Testing and Evaluation of Volatile Organic Chemical