C0 Fluorine-Free Water Repellent
CK GUARD N-SERIES is the fluorine-free water repellent range from CHEM KARIS, a Korean textile chemical manufacturer supplying mills and finishers worldwide. The series is non-fluorinated and PFC-free: it contains no PFOA, no PFOS and no fluorinated compounds, and is formulated for cotton, cotton blends and synthetic fibres in both water-based and oil-based systems. Fluorine-free chemistry repels water but not oil, so where oil and soil repellency is also required our C6 range covers that application. Samples for laboratory trials are available on request.
PFAS-Free
Water Repellency
CK GUARD N-SERIES
Fluorine-Free (C0) Water Repellent for Textiles
CK GUARD N-SERIES removes fluorochemistry from the finish entirely. There is no PFOA, no PFOS and no fluorinated compound in the formulation, so the finished fabric carries no fluorine load and the finish itself sits outside PFAS restrictions written for fluorinated chemistry. Mills normally move to it because a brand customer has set a fluorine-free requirement, not because it outperforms C6.
What it does — and what it does not
The series delivers durable water repellency and holds it through repeated laundering. It does not repel oil. That is a property of the chemistry rather than of the grade: only a densely packed perfluorinated surface falls below the surface tension of oils, so no fluorine-free finish will shed oil. Where a specification calls for oil and soil repellency, a C6 finish is the correct route.
Substrates and systems
Cotton, cotton blends and synthetic fibres, in both water-based and oil-based systems. Typical end uses are outdoor apparel, sportswear and home textiles, and synthetic leather as a PU coating additive.
Grades
• Water-Based Fluorine-Free Repellent
Outstanding water repellency, wash durability and adhesion, holding performance after repeated laundering. For outdoor apparel, sportswear and home textiles.
• Oil-Based Fluorine-Free Repellent
Used as a PU coating additive for synthetic leather, with good compatibility with organic solvents and hydrolysis resistance.
Choosing between C0 and C6
If the requirement is water only, and a brand or a regulation rules out fluorine, C0 is the answer. If the fabric must also resist oil, grease or oily soil — workwear, chef wear, upholstery, automotive interiors — fluorine-free chemistry cannot meet it and a C6 water and oil repellent is required. CHEM KARIS supplies both and will say which one fits the specification you send.
Specifying with us
CHEM KARIS formulates to the substrate, the process and the target rating rather than shipping a fixed catalogue grade. Tell us the fabric, the application method and the performance you have to meet, and we will propose a starting point. Samples for laboratory trials are available on request.
Technical background: fluorine-free water repellent — what it does and what it does not do