Nikwax: PFAS-free care and waterproofing for outdoor gear

For almost 50 years, British brand Nikwax has been making care and waterproofing products for outdoor gear. From the start, it has avoided something that was long standard in the industry: fluorochemicals (PFAS/PFCs), aerosols and solvents. Instead, Nikwax uses water-based formulations to care for technical clothing, footwear and equipment.

In 1977, Nick Brown was 22 and had a problem: his leather mountaineering boots were getting wet. So he mixed his own waterproofing wax in the kitchen, one that worked without damaging the leather. Nikwax grew from that single wax.

Over the following decades, Brown continued to develop the range, moving from leather waxes to water-based waterproofing and cleaning products for textiles, membranes and gear. He always remained true to the founding principle that still shapes the company today: no fluorochemicals, no solvents, no aerosols. Long before PFAS entered public debate, Nikwax had already removed them from its entire range.

Brown deliberately kept the company privately owned, without shareholders or pressure for short-term profits. According to Nikwax, in 2017 it became the first outdoor company to account for all of its CO₂ emissions since its founding and to offset them through forest conservation projects run by the World Land Trust.

Nikwax follows a simple principle: clean first, then reproof. Dirt and detergent residues are often why a jacket or shoe no longer repels water. Usually the membrane is fine and the surface is simply clogged. Washing with the right product is often enough to restore water repellency.