Our Story

Smoky skies Seattle Space Needle Aug 2018 (Photo: KOMO News)

Puraka Masks was founded by a group of parents following the Pacific-coast fire season of 2018. That group of parents, who held day jobs as engineers, healthcare professionals and compliance specialists, founded Puraka on the belief that wearing a mask is the best thing you can do to keep you healthy and safe when the air is not.

One of our founders, an asthmatic, first noticed a tightness in his chest after a bike ride.  This led us to design a reusable mask with a filter that was breathable, comfortable, and filtered against small particles.  When the COVID pandemic started in early 2020, we had cloth barrier coverings and PM2.5 filters available. Now, Puraka Masks are the best-selling ASTM F3502-certified and CDC-recommended reusable (and fashionable) masks to filter air pollution, smoke, and dust particulates.