I'm Emilie, and I started Swankymat as a mom of two babies. Before I cared about how the mats looked, I cared about what my kids would be breathing and touching for hours a day. This page is the honest version of what's in them, what's been tested, and what we're still working on.

What the mat is made of

The base is a high-density, closed-cell PVC foam. Closed-cell means it doesn't absorb water or hold onto spills, which is why it wipes clean and doesn't grow anything. It's made without phthalate plasticizers, which are the chemical softeners most people worry about in PVC products.

The designs are UV-printed in Dallas, Texas on our own equipment using Greenguard Gold certified inks. Greenguard Gold is the strictest standard for low chemical emissions and was built around products for schools and children's spaces. The ink is cured instantly under UV light, so it's fully bonded to the mat before it ever leaves our shop.

What's been tested

Our mat material is tested by SGS, an independent lab used across the industry, against more than 250 substances. Here's what those reports show.

No detectable phthalates. All 17 types screened came back not detected, including the seven restricted in children's products.

No detectable heavy metals. Lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium were all not detected. The material also passed EN 71-3 migration testing, the European toy standard that measures whether metals can leach out of a product when it's mouthed or handled.

No detectable BPA.

No added flame retardants. Brominated flame retardants (PBBs and PBDEs) were not detected. We've never added flame retardant chemicals, and the testing confirms it.

No detectable formamide. Formamide is the chemical behind the European restrictions on foam puzzle mats. It was specifically screened and not detected.

The material has also been screened against the EU list of Substances of Very High Concern and the EU POPs regulation on persistent organic pollutants.

What we're doing next

The testing above was done on the raw mat material at the factory level. Because we print the mats ourselves here in the US, the finished product is ours, and we think the finished product is what should be tested. We're arranging independent testing of complete Swankymat mats, in our own name, at a US lab, covering formamide, formaldehyde, VOC emissions, lead and phthalates. When those results are in, they'll be published here.

If you have a question about a specific substance or standard, email hello@swankymat.com and we'll check it against the reports directly. We'd rather answer a hard question than have you wonder.

Everyday care

Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Mild soap for anything stubborn. No harsh chemicals needed, and none recommended.

Do our mats have odor?

Occasionally, our mats arrive with a faint sweet or herbal scent that some customers have described as eucalyptus. Here's what it is:

The designs are UV-printed, which means the ink is cured instantly under ultraviolet light. That curing step releases a small amount of a natural byproduct, and because each mat is rolled tightly right after printing and shipped in a sealed tube, that scent gets concentrated inside the roll. When you unroll it, it all comes out at once. Your nose can pick these compounds up at tiny levels, well below anything that matters for safety, which is why a smell that fades within days can seem strong on day one.

The inks are Greenguard Gold certified for low chemical emissions, and that sweet scent is actually a sign the ink is fully cured and stable. An under-cured ink would smell sour or acrid, not sweet.

If you notice a scent to your mat, unroll the mat flat, give it some airflow from an open window or a fan moving across the surface, and wipe the printed side with a damp cloth. Most of the scent is gone within a few days and the rest within a couple of weeks. Warm rooms and tightly closed spaces slow it down. If it's still noticeable after a few weeks of being unrolled, email us and we'll look into it.

Swankymat mats are HSA/FSA eligible.