Sepp Blatter is one such person. As various scandals have hit Fifa, world football's governing body, its president has stayed safe.
As such, his name is often preceded by the term 'Teflon-coated' - after the non-stick product.
As senior Fifa officials were arrested in Switzerland, Blatter was called 'Teflon-coated' by the Washington Post, the Associated Press and on Twitter.
US justice officials say there are, as yet, no plans to arrest Mr Blatter, who said on Wednesday he would work "vigorously" to eradicate corruption within Fifa.
The term Teflon has been used so often with public figures that it has its own Wikipedia page. Notable figures to have been nicknamed Teflon include Tony Blair, Ronald Reagan, Vladimir Putin and the former New York crime boss John Gotti.
"It's actually an abuse of a brand name - it's an illegal use of intellectual property," said Janet Smith, global communications leader with DuPont, the US company that produces Teflon.
"To us, it is inappropriate for anyone to use it in these circumstances."
Teflon - or Polytetrafluoroethylene, to give it its full name - is a compound discovered by accident by a DuPont employee in 1938.
Since then, it has gone on to be used to line pipes and valves in the nuclear industry, and to make stain-free carpets.
But its most common use is in cooking. All non-stick products claiming to be lined with Teflon now need to be approved by DuPont.
"Not all publicity is good publicity, not at all," said Ms Smith, who said DuPont regularly follows up on uses of the term Teflon it sees as unfair. "It sullies a brand that stands for specific things.
"We would rather people said that nothing sticks to this person."
But is the term Teflon-coated accurate when it comes to discussing public figures surviving scandal?
The non-stick coating is guaranteed for as long as the pan lasts - so, in theory, nothing should stick to it for its whole life.
There is one condition, however: Teflon pans might not survive when exposed to extreme heat. But it would take a lot of heat to have an effect - 500f (260c) - "way beyond the temperature cooking oil can reach" said Ms Smith.
Fifa is finding itself under greater scrutiny than ever. So how high can the temperature get?
When a scandal surrounds someone in power, and they emerge blemish-free, they are very likely to end up with a new title.