French ban on using “permanent chemicals” in cosmetics and clothing to come into force

A French ban comes into force on Thursday on the production and sale of cosmetics and most clothing that contain “permanent chemicals” that are polluting and dangerous to health.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals used since the late 1940s to mass-produce non-stick, waterproof, and stain-resistant treatments that coat everything from frying pans to umbrellas, rugs, and dental floss.

Because PFAS take a long time to break down, earning them the nickname “forever,” they have leached into soil and groundwater, and from there into the food chain and drinking water. These chemicals have been detected virtually everywhere on Earth, from the top of Mount Everest to inside human blood and brains.

Chronic exposure to even low levels of these chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birth weight, and several types of cancer.

The French law, approved by lawmakers in February, prohibits the production, import or sale from January 2026 of any product for which an alternative to PFAS already exists. These include cosmetics and ski wax, as well as clothing containing chemicals, except for certain “essential” industrial textiles.

The ban on non-stick pans was removed from the bill after intense lobbying by the owners of French manufacturer Tefal. It will also force French authorities to periodically test drinking water for all types of PFAS.

There are thousands of different PFAS and some have been banned since 2019 under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, but China and the United States are not among the more than 150 signatories. This includes perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used since the 1950s by the American company DuPont to make its Teflon non-stick coating for textiles and other everyday consumer products.

The Stockholm Convention also bans perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), known for its use as a waterproofing agent by the US group 3M, which has been heavily restricted since 2009.

A handful of US states, including California, have implemented a ban on the intentional use of PFAS in cosmetics starting in 2025, and several other states are scheduled to follow suit in 2026.

Denmark will ban the use of PFAS in clothing, footwear, and certain consumer products with waterproofing agents starting July 1, 2026. Denmark has banned the use of PFAS in food packaging since 2020.

The European Union has been studying a possible ban on the use of PFAS in consumer products, but has not yet introduced or implemented such a regulation.