Dr. Mudgal, toxicologist, and I will be reviewing Le Creuset’s stainless steel, PFAS-based non-stick, ceramic (non-PFAS) non-stick, cast iron, enamelled steel, & ceramic stoneware products.
We are reviewing their potential levels of metals, PFAS, and any other potential risks.
This article contains affiliate links, upon purchase I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Summary:
- Their stainless steel does have some titanium (which is good), but is otherwise not significantly different than other stainless steel out there. We would expect it to leach Nickel and Chromium like all stainless steel. I use some stainless steel, but because of this leaching, I vary my cooking materials with other options I list out at the end of the article.
- Their Teflon-coated pans contain three types of PFAS; the biggest concern here is that it can create gases of concern when heated over ~200 °C. They can also create microplastics when scratched. Plus, there is an environmental concern with PFAS that is significant in my opinion. I have personally moved away from PFAS.
- Their non-stick ceramic pans are non-PFAS. We don’t have independent testing of this ceramic pan liner to see what metals are in it, though it’s likely to be good/safe, especially if you don’t scratch it. (Personally, though, I use a ceramic pan that we have independent test results for).
- Their famous cast iron, enamelled steel, & ceramic stoneware have tested positive for Lead, Cadmium, and Antimony in the past by individuals using XRF analyzers. They currently declare Antimony in some varieties. We can assume they are in compliance with current FDA, California, and EU leach testing requirements for Lead and Cadmium. I almost bought their enamelled steel in one of the colors that has tested better (beiges & greys – though no exact colors were mentioned, blue, palm, dune), but in part for price reasons, I ended up going with an IKEA dutch oven. I trust IKEA’s track record a lot.
A Review of Le Creuset’s Products:
1. Pure Stainless Steel
Le Creuset offers Stainless Steel cookware.
Stainless Steel contains and leaches (based on studies that test unspecified brands) Nickel and Chromium.
There is low Nickel stainless steel as well, but they don’t state theirs as low Nickel.
Their Stainless Steel has an Aluminum core which is normal, and this does not leach through the steel.
They also say it contains Titanium in the steel, which is fine from a toxicity standpoint.
Toxicity Review from Dr. Mudgal: Stainless Steel from all brands can leach small amounts of Nickel and Chromium.
For most people, this is not considered a major health risk, however, individuals with a Nickel allergy or those advised to limit Nickel/Chromium exposure may prefer to reduce their use.
Le Creuset does not specify whether their steel is low-Nickel.
2. Non-Stick Stainless Steel (PFAS-Based)
They also have Stainless Steel exterior pans with a PFAS-based non-stick interior. And Aluminum pans with a PFAS-based non-stick interior.
PFAS are high-fluorinated chemicals known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment.
The PFAS in the non-stick pans are declared as PTFE (Teflon), FEP (Perfluorinated ethylene propylene) and PFA (Perfluoroalkoxy alkanes).
Toxicity Review from Dr. Mudgal: PTFE, FEP, and PFA coatings are stable at normal cooking temperatures.
They begin to degrade and release toxic fumes above ~200 °C and 260 °C, potentially causing polymer fume fever if inhaled (however, symptoms in humans generally do not begin until Teflon is heated to 350 °C, says this study).
You don’t want to leave your pans on the stove with nothing in them as they can get very hot that way, but even searing meat usually happens at 204-232 °C, above the range that FEP begins to become a gas (source).
When intact and used correctly, these coatings are not considered a major ingestion risk, even if scratched, since they are considered inert; though the ingested flakes are micoplastics.
The main concern remains thermal degradation from overheating, says Dr. Mudgal.
3. Non-Stick Ceramic
Their non-stick ceramic-coated pans are PFAS-free, they say. This type of coating is usually made from a silica-based sol-gel and metals.
Some brands use nanoparticles here, and others don’t. (They didn’t respond to a request on whether theirs does or not.)
Non-stick ceramic pans from other brands have been found to contain metals of concern. (Other brands have contained low levels of Lead, high levels of Titanium, low levels of Antimony, as well as Chromium, Nickel, and Manganese).
I don’t know of any independent XRF testing of Le Creuset’s ceramic non-stick coating, so I cannot verify exactly what is in this coating.
Their chemical declaration says it contains: Iron, Chromium, Copper, Manganese, Nickel, and Phosphorus. I would not presume this is a full ingredient list, but these are the metals they need to declare.
Toxicity Review by Dr. Mudgal: We don’t have independent test data for Le Creuset’s ceramic coating.
Toxicity risk is considered low for this type of coating, generally, says Dr. Mudgal.
If we assume this is similar to other sol-gel ceramic coatings, scratches can release trace metals (Iron, Nickel, Copper, and whatever else is in it) and expose the aluminum base, which is more likely to leach under acidic cooking conditions.
4. Cast Iron, Enamelled Steel, & Ceramic Stoneware
Stoneware test results
According to Shannon at Natural Baby Mama, the stoneware she had from them tested high for Lead and Cadmium on both the inside and the outside with a Niton XL3T XRF (source).
In 2017, she said that she had tested it a few years before that.
Tamara Rubin also found high Lead in a blue stoneware pot, the year that the pot was purchased was not stated (source).
Cast iron test results
Shannon found some of the same cast iron options (made in France) tested positive for metals with an XRF analyzer in some colors on the exterior (like red) and were good for other colors.
(Example red cast iron roasting dish with 12,800 ppm Cadmium on the outside, the year of this roasting pan was not specified).
Her blue Le Creuset tested quite good – Lead and Cadmium free on the inside and Lead-free on the outside with only low levels of Cadmium on the outside. (source).
A yellow cast iron pot from ~2013 tested high in Cadmium and relatively high in Antimony (with the yellow exterior being much higher in Cadmium, but the white interior also had Antimony), and another yellow cast iron pan tested similarly but with some Lead as well (including on the inside) (source).
Antimony is declared by Le Creuset on their chemical declaration page.
While the cast iron by Le Creuset might be preferable (to the stoneware) in terms of metal content, not all the cast iron items are the same in terms of metals in the glazes.
Which colors are free of Lead and Cadmium
Le Creuset has said in the past to more than one person (based on second-hand knowledge) that their Dune color and Palm colors are Lead and Cadmium-free (however, there is no current source of which colors are Lead and Cadmium-free, and the company did not respond to this question with a direct answer).
Shannon tested them with an XRF (both Dune and Palm colors, in 2017) and found trace levels of Cadmium on the outside only (Natural Baby Mama), which is good.
Her blue Le Creuset tested quite good – one item was Lead and Cadmium-free on the inside and Lead-free on the outside with only low levels of Cadmium on the outside (source).
Another blue item was free of heavy metals (source). (Her blue looks like this bright blue.)
I would use these, and I was considering buying one of those in those colors or in white or off-white.
(I went with the IKEA enamelled steel in the end, partially due to price, which I talk about at the end of the article.)
Newer greys and beige colors have tested fairly well, according to Tamara Rubin; however, she does not link to any specific models/colors out of protest for the company.
Le Creuset statements
Le Creuset does not mention or publicly display metal leach testing results anywhere I could find.
They did not reply to my requests for information on which colors are Lead and Cadmium-free in 2024 or 2025, nor with any other information about metal leaching.
Toxicity Review by Dr. Mudgal: Independent XRF screening has shown Lead, Cadmium, and Antimony in some Le Creuset enamelled products, across various colors and time periods. Le Creuset currently declares Antimony in some of its products.
At the time of manufacture, we expect/assume that they passed the required leach tests (shown in a chart below), making them legally compliant. We don’t have any reliable independent leach testing on Le Creuset.
However, ceramics can leach metals under acidic cooking, high heat, or when the glaze is damaged.
This explains why some individuals avoiding heavy metals take the cautious route and have preferred to buy certain colors (like blue, dune, palm) that have tested more free of metals in informal, sporadic XRF checks.
You can find out which ones contain Antimony on their product declarations (though we don’t know if the amount is significant, or if it leaches significantly).
Antimony can legally be present in cookware glazes, but companies must make sure that very little, if any, leaches into food, well below these regulatory safety thresholds (listed below).
Want to test your Le Creuset?
If you have Le Creuset products already, you can test them with an XRF analyser, or you could do a leach test and send the substance used into a lab (though don’t make the mistake Natural Baby Mama made in starting the leach test with a tomato sauce that had metals because once you concentrate that, it will test as more concentrated metals because you burned off water).
A Bit About The Discrepancy Between XRF Testing and Leach Testing
Why is there sometimes a seeming discrepancy between the XRF testing, which can show metals of concern are present, and the leach testing results that the companies say have no detectable metals?
Dr. Mudgal, toxicologist, says, “The discrepancy arises because XRF testing measures total metal content, whereas leach
tests measure only the metals that are released under specific conditions. Thus, a product can contain metals but still pass leach tests if those metals do not migrate out significantly during leach testing”.
So Le Creuset is (I would presume) passing the legal leaching tests at the time of production.
(I don’t think Shannon’s leach test can be used as evidence here, she started with tomato sauce that had significant metals and then she cooked it down, so if it lost water in the test then it would be more concentrated just because it was more concentrated).
Can Ceramic Cookware Leach Metals?
Based on the testing that some of the ceramic companies have provided, they have passed EU, FDA, and/or Prop 65 leach testing.
These tests do allow for some Lead and Cadmium – you can see the levels in the chart below.
Dr. Mudgal explains that “there is evidence suggesting that these ceramics and ceramic coatings can leach metals into food, particularly when the coating is damaged through thermal degradation, chemical interactions (in acidic or alkaline food-making conditions), or physical abrasion (mostly induced during cooking and cleaning) to the surface of the cookware.”
She also explains that if the scratching reveals a substrate that contains metals of concern (like Aluminum or Lead), those could begin to leach when exposed.
Allowable Lead, Cadmium, and Antimony Limits
These are the standards that brands have to be able to meet.
| Categories | EU Standards | OEHHA (California) Proposition 65 | |||
| Standards | The European Union’s standards for the release of lead and cadmium from ceramic food contact materials are outlined in Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 and further specified in the Council Directive 84/500/EEC and its amendments. The directive specifies lead and cadmium limits for three categories of ceramic articles, when said substances are extracted during testing. | California Proposition 65 sets limits for lead and cadmium exposure from consumer products, including ceramic cookware. The specific Maximum Allowable Dose Levels (MADLs) are mentioned below. | |||
| Category 1: Ceramic articles, which include articles that cannot be filled as well as those that can be filled (the internal depth of which should not exceed 25 mm); measured in decimetre (dm2) | Category 2: “All” other fillable ceramic articles | Category 1: Ceramic articles, which include articles that cannot be filled as well as those that can be filled (the internal depth of which should not exceed 25 mm); measured in decimetres (dm2) | |||
| Lead and Lead compounds | 0.8 mg/dm2 | 4.0 mg/L | 1.5 mg/L | 0.5 µg/day | |
| Cadmium and Cadmium compounds | 0.07 mg/dm2 | 0.3 mg/L | 0.1 mg/L | 4.1 µg/day | |
| Category 3: Ceramic cookware, as well as packaging and storage vessels that have capacities exceeding 3 liters | |||||
| USA – FDA | |||||
| The FDA has specific provisions regarding ceramic cookware, which might contain heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, both of which might contaminate food. 21 CFR Part 109 contains general requirements regarding unavoidable contaminants in food for human consumption and food packaging material. It also specifies tolerances for substances that are either poisonous or deleterious. Product examples include substances (e.g., lead) that migrate to food from ornamental and decorative food-contact products such as: Ceramic pans, Ceramic pots, and Ceramic teapots. The use of ornamental or decorative ceramicware to prepare, serve, or hold food may result in the leaching of lead from the glaze or decoration into the food. | |||||
| The FDA has specific provisions regarding ceramic cookware, which might contain heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, both of which might contaminate food. 21 CFR Part 109 contains general requirements regarding unavoidable contaminants in food for human consumption and food packaging material. It also specifies tolerances for substances that are either poisonous or deleterious. Product examples include substances (e.g., lead) that migrate to food from ornamental and decorative food-contact products such as: Ceramic pans, Ceramic pots, and Ceramic tea pots. The use of ornamental or decorative ceramicware to prepare, serve, or hold food may result in the leaching of lead from the glaze or decoration into the food. | |||||
| (FDA, 2005/Lead) Flatware: 3.0 µg/mL Small holloware (other than cups and mugs): 2.0 µg/mL Cups/mugs: 0.5 µg/mL Large hollowware (other than pitchers): 1.0 µg/mL Pitchers: 0.5 µg/mL | (FDA, 2005/Cadmium) Flatware: 0.5 µg/mL Small hollowware: 0.5 µg/mL Large hollowware: 0.25 µg/mL | ||||
Antimony Limits
| Region / Law | Listing | Limits |
| EU (Reg. 10/2011) | Specific migration limit (SML) into food | 0.04 mg/kg food |
| WHO (2017) | Drinking water guideline | 0.02 mg/L |
| Tolerable daily intake (TDI) | 6 μg/kg bw/day | |
| US FDA | Bottled water maximum level | 0.006 mg/L |
| California Prop 65 | Listed as carcinogen (antimony trioxide) | NSRL (inhalation): 0.13 µg/day |
Other Options:
1. A Dutch Oven
IKEA VARDAGEN is a more affordable version of a Dutch oven (enamelled cast iron).
IKEA has been known to be excellent in keeping Lead and Cadmium out of their products for quite a long time now.
So while we don’t have any third-party testing of this exact product yet, I own this and feel confident using it every day based on IKEA’s great track record.
2. Glass Cookware
Visions Glass Cookware
Shannon tested a brand new Visions Glass Cookware set in 2017 for Lead, Cadmium, and other metals with a Niton XL3T XRF.
The old Visions brand glass cookware may contain heavy metals she says (which she heard from someone else, so I can’t confirm that), but the new Visions cookware is free of Lead, Cadmium, and any other metals, according to her testing of one set (source).
Leaves and Trees
This glass cooking pot tested free of Lead and other metals of concern by Tamara Rubin.
3. Cast Iron
Shannon tested a 12-inch Finex cast iron skillet with a Niton XL3T XRF.
The pan was negative for Lead, the stainless steel handle was negative for Lead, but the brass knob had Lead at 33,900 parts per million.
The company said it passed the stringent CA Prop 65 leach test.
Tamara has tested the Lodge cast iron pan which came out Lead-free in her XRF test.
4. Stainless Steel
While stainless steel itself does not contain Lead, stainless steel items can contain Lead parts (like brass parts or printed logos).
Stainless steel cookware does leach Nickel and Chromium.
I use the Instant Pot as one item in rotation, which has a lead-free stainless steel cooking pot/liner. The lid is also lead-free. (Everything the food could touch is lead-free).
Because of the Nickel and Cadmium in stainless, I rotate and diversify the types of cookware that I use.
5. Titanium
Titanium essentially doesn’t leach after the first use at all.
However, it’s one of those products where very few brands actually legitimately use a substantial layer of titanium as the cooking surface.
(Some use 316Ti which is not different enough from stainless steel, some use only a nano-layer, which might be PVD, some use some titanium in their ceramic layer which is a different type of cooking material, etc.)
Taima is one brand that shows test results to show that their products are titanium.
Though the version on their website has a brass handle which is not my top pick due to the fact that brass normally contains lead.
They offer the Taima frying pan (with brass) and titanium pots on their website which do not have brass.
I have their titanium cutting board.
6. Ceramic Non-Stick
Green Pan, a brand of frying pans with a ceramic coating, did not test positive for lead on the food surface.
The 2023 XRF test results by Tamara Ruben were Barium: 1,220 +/- 200 ppm, Chromium: 126 +/- 59 ppm, Antimony: 66 +/- 40 ppm, Iron: 2,361 +/- 177 ppm, and Titanium: 51,900 +/- 900 ppm. (Source)
They say they don’t use nanometals, and it is free of PFAS.
I own this GreenPan and use it every day.
I consider this a good option and a good item to have in rotation with stainless steel (which leaches metals), and the IKEA dutch oven, and other choices (I can’t easily use the glass options below since I cook on gas, and my body doesn’t do well with extra iron from cast iron, so I don’t have that many choices).
Though once it got scratched, I tossed it. Once the coating is compromised, I don’t feel good about using it.
Be sure to be careful not to use metal in the pan.
Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.
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