For years, many disposable gloves came dusted with a fine powder so they slid onto warm, damp hands. Older powdered medical gloves carried anywhere from 50 to more than 400 milligrams of it per glove, according to the FDA. Then the risks caught up with the convenience. In a final rule published December 19, 2016, the FDA banned powdered surgeon's gloves and powdered patient examination gloves. It took effect January 18, 2017.
Powder was already on its way out. Market research cited in the rule projected powdered gloves at 7 percent of exam and surgical glove sales in 2010 and 2 percent of disposable medical glove sales by 2015. Today powder free gloves are the only legal option for medical exams and surgery in the US. Every glove we sell is powder-free, so we have a side here. Our regulatory facts come straight from the FDA's own rule, and where powder still has an edge, we say so.
The short answer
Powder-free gloves are the better pick for almost every job, and the only legal choice for medical exam and surgeon's gloves in the US since January 18, 2017. Powder made gloves easier to pull on, but the FDA tied it to airway inflammation and allergic reactions. Outside medical use, powdered gloves are still legal.
Best disposable gloves for work
Our pick
We scored both types from 1 to 10 on six points and averaged them. Powder-free lands at 9.0 and powdered at 4.5. Powder-free takes both safety rounds by a wide margin and wins on residue and availability too. Powdered wins two: it slides on faster and feels a little less tacky, the same benefits the FDA weighed before the ban. Treat the scores as a buyer's guide, not a lab result.
For a clinic, the choice is already made. Powdered exam gloves cannot be sold for medical use, and the rule even reached boxes already sold to the end user. Powder free nitrile exam gloves cover the two glove risks named in the rule: no powder in the air and no latex proteins in the glove. A shop or a kitchen can still legally buy powder, but most of the reasons to skip it apply to the people wearing the gloves.
Powder-free wins for nearly every job
It is safer to breathe around, leaves almost no residue and is the only legal choice for medical use. Powdered keeps a small edge in donning, which rarely outweighs the rest.
Powdered vs powder-free glove spec sheet
Feature by feature
This sheet scores powder-free against powdered in three groups: safety, the job and feel. A check means the glove handles that point well, a dash means it gets by, and a cross means it struggles. Most rows come straight from the FDA powdered glove ban. In it, the FDA tied glove powder to severe airway inflammation and allergic reactions including asthma, plus granulomas and scar tissue when powder reaches internal tissue, which can lead to surgical complications.
Powder also carries latex. According to the rule, glove powder can pick up natural rubber latex proteins and carry them into the air, which can sensitize staff and patients to latex. You no longer need to search for nitrile exam gloves powder free by name: in the US, every patient exam glove has to be powder-free. Our medical glove collection holds six medical gloves, five nitrile and one Nitro-V hybrid, from $58.95 to $84.95 a case.
Safety
On the job
Feel & footprint
Who each glove type is best for
Pick by the job
Start with one question: is the glove for medical use? If it touches patients in an exam room, a dental chair or an operating room, powder is off the table by law, and the FDA turned down a request to exempt dental offices. For everything else, the choice comes down to who wears the glove, what it touches and whether anyone nearby reacts to latex.
Our powder free nitrile gloves go to auto shops, restaurants, beauty shops and clinics. We keep all of our nitrile gloves powder free, from a 3 mil blue exam glove at $59.95 a case to the 8 mil Orange Diamond Grip at $99.95. For patient care, start with our powder-free nitrile exam gloves: 3 mil, textured fingertips, a beaded cuff and touch-screen compatible. Nail techs, like the one in our photo, can browse gloves for nail salons.
Choose powdered for
- Non-medical work onlyThe FDA ban covers medical exam and surgeon's gloves, not gloves made for food or shop work.
- Fast changes on warm handsPowder helps a glove slide on and off, the main benefit the FDA found.
Choose powder-free for
- Clinics & dental officesRequired for patient exam and surgeon's gloves since January 18, 2017.
- Kitchens & food prepNo loose powder near food. Our Black and Blue Nitrile (Industrial) comply with 21 CFR 177.2600.
- Salons, studios & shopsClean hands on a client or a part, with no powder left on skin, nails or tools.
Powdered & powder-free glove pros & cons
Where each one falls short
Powder's real edge is speed. By the FDA's count, its benefits are easier donning and doffing, less tackiness and a degree of added comfort. It called those benefits nominal next to the risks. It also rejected claims that powder-free gloves tear more easily or dull your sense of touch, citing studies where non-powdered nitrile matched latex on protection and dexterity.
Powder free latex gloves were left on the market. Studies the FDA cites found that dropping the powder lowers the risk of latex sensitization, and the agency relies on the latex warning label for the rest, but the proteins are still in the glove. We sell no latex. If you want powder free vinyl gloves for quick food tasks, our clear biobased vinyl is free from latex, powder and accelerators, weighs 3 grams and costs $67.95 a case. One honest note: a study in the rule found vinyl gloves in general less durable than nitrile, neoprene and latex.
Powdered gloves
Pros
- Slides on and off faster
- Less tacky on the skin
- A little more comfort, per the FDA
- Still legal outside medical use
Cons
- Banned for medical exams & surgery
- Can carry latex proteins into the air
- Linked to airway inflammation & asthma
Powder-free gloves
Pros
- The only legal choice for medical use
- Same protection & dexterity, per the FDA
- No powder on hands, food or tools
- Every glove we sell, from $58.95 a case
Cons
- Can feel tacky going on
- Slower to pull on than powdered
- Some wearers miss the feel of powder
Powdered & powder-free glove questions
What our customers ask
Short answers to the powdered vs powder free gloves questions we hear most. Regulatory details come from the FDA's 2016 rule.
Why did the FDA ban powdered gloves?
The FDA found that powdered surgeon's and patient exam gloves posed an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury that a label change could not fix. It tied glove powder to severe airway inflammation, allergic reactions including asthma, and granulomas and adhesions when powder reaches internal tissue. Powder can also carry latex proteins into the air. FDA published the rule December 19, 2016, and it took effect January 18, 2017.
Are powder-free nitrile gloves better for food?
For most kitchens, yes. Nitrile has no latex proteins, and a powder-free glove has no loose powder to shed onto food. Food-service gloves fall outside the FDA ban, since they are not medical devices, so check the box instead of assuming. Our Black Nitrile Gloves (Industrial) and Blue Nitrile Gloves (Industrial) state they comply with 21 CFR 177.2600, the FDA rule for rubber articles intended for repeated use.
Can you still buy powdered latex gloves?
Not for medical use in the US. The ban covers every powdered patient exam and surgeon's glove, whatever the material, latex included, and it reached boxes already sold. Outside medicine, the rule does not cover gloves made for food or industrial work, so powdered latex gloves can still turn up there. We sell no latex and no powdered gloves. Every glove in our catalog is powder-free.
Sources: Federal Register 2016-30382: FDA final rule banning powdered gloves · eCFR 21 CFR 895.103: Powdered patient examination glove · FDA: Medical gloves · eCFR 21 CFR 177.2600: Rubber articles intended for repeated use
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