TL; DR
Wove is a new mobile app that scans clothing for PFAS, microplastics and hidden toxins, giving shoppers plain-language safety ratings and cleaner alternatives. Launched amid increased regulatory pressure and renewed public concern following Netflix’s The Plastic Detox, it aims to do for wardrobes what Yuka did for grocery aisles.
Most health-conscious consumers have already ditched plastic containers, switched to filtered water and re-examined their skincare routine. However, clothing remains a stubborn blind spot, and a new app called Wove wants to change that.
It was launched this weekWove bills itself as the first mobile app to scan everyday clothing for PFAS, the potential for microplastic spills and other hidden toxins. Users can upload an image, screenshot, clothing tag, product description or shopping URL, and the app returns a plain-language rating based on fiber content, chemical concerns and microplastic risk. If the score is weak, Wove recommends cleaner alternatives suit the buyer’s style, lifestyle and budget.
Comparisons with Yuka, a popular food and cosmetic ingredient scanner with over 80 million users worldwide, are inevitable. Like Yuka, Wove touts itself as completely independent, ad-free and free of paid brand placements or sponsored rankings. The difference is in the domain: instead of scanning barcodes on cereal boxes, Wove focuses on the synthetic materials that cover your body every day.
The timing is intentional. Netflix documentary Plastic DetoxThe film, which premiered in March 2026, reignited public concern about synthetic materials, chemical exposure, and their link to fertility problems. That cultural moment sits alongside a growing regulatory body: France banned PFAS in textiles from January 2026, California’s EU 1817 already bans PFAS from being intentionally added to clothing, and the EU is strengthening REACH restrictions on related substances this year.
Basic information does the job to investigate. Synthetic fibers have grown from about 45% of global fiber production in 1996 to about two-thirds today. more than half is only polyester all fiber production worldwide. Every wash cycle dumps microscopic plastic particles into waterways, but a 2025 survey for the National Cotton Council found that only 42% of consumers who were aware of microplastic pollution actually put it on their clothes.
PFAS, the “forever chemicals” rated for water and stain resistance, pose a parallel concern. Studies have linked PFAS exposure to endocrine disruption, reduced fertility, weakened immune systems and several types of cancer. They are chemicals persistentIt takes thousands of years to break down in the environment, and they have been found at dangerous levels in thousands of sites in Europe alone.
Wove was founded by Charlotte, North Carolina-based product leader Emily Hemphill, whose personal fertility and wellness journey led her to explore what was in her closet. “Clothing is often the ultimate blind spot,” Hemphill said, describing the difference between the attention consumers pay to food and skin care ingredients and the near-lack of transparency around textile chemistry.
The app is currently available on the Apple App Store, the Android waiting list is now open. It remains to be seen whether Wove can replicate Yuka’s viral adoption trajectory, but it does enter a market. consumer demand for transparency clearly exceeds what fashion brands voluntarily disclose. In an industry microplastic pollution measured in millions of metric tons per year, giving shoppers a way to see what their clothes are actually made of, feeling less like a niche feature and more like outdated infrastructure.
