They're called 'forever chemicals' because that's exactly what they are. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — a group of more than 10,000 synthetic compounds — don't break down in the environment. Or in your body. First synthesised in the 1930s and widely adopted in products ranging from non-stick cookware to waterproof clothing to food packaging, PFAS are now found in the blood of virtually every person on Earth, in the drinking water of millions, in the soil, in Arctic ice, and in the tissues of wildlife living far from any industrial source.
The health evidence has been building for decades. PFAS are associated with kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, immune suppression, reduced fertility, and disrupted foetal development. Regulatory systems have moved slowly — too slowly, many scientists argue — in part because the chemicals are commercially ubiquitous and in part because the health effects are subtle and cumulative rather than dramatic and immediate.
France has decided to move faster than the rest of Europe. Since January 1, 2026, it has become the strictest national PFAS law in the EU — and possibly the world.
**What France's Law Bans**
Under Law No. 2025-188 and its implementing decree, France has banned the manufacture, import, export, and sale of PFAS-containing: - **Cosmetics** — skincare, makeup, sunscreens, and personal care products - **Clothing and footwear** — including waterproofing agents applied to garments for consumers - **Ski wax** — long a significant source of PFAS contamination at ski resorts
The ban covers an extraordinarily broad definition of PFAS — any substance containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom — going further than existing EU restrictions under REACH and POPs regulations, which only cover specific compounds. France's law captures the whole chemical family, not just named substances.
Specific residual concentration thresholds apply: no more than 25 parts per billion (ppb) for any individual PFAS, and no more than 250 ppb for the sum of all PFAS detected. Products manufactured before January 1, 2026 may still be sold for up to 12 months, giving businesses a wind-down period.
**Beyond Products: Pollution Accountability**
The law doesn't stop at consumer products. It also introduces financial accountability for industrial PFAS polluters: a tax of €100 per hundred grams of PFAS discharged into water per year. This creates a direct financial incentive to clean up emissions, not just comply with product bans.
French drinking water will now be regularly monitored for PFAS. Hundreds of sites across France — many near industrial facilities, airports, and military bases where firefighting foam has historically been used — have elevated PFAS concentrations in groundwater. Monitoring is the first step toward remediation.
**The 2030 Expansion**
The current ban is a first phase. From January 1, 2030, the ban will expand to cover **all textile products** containing PFAS — not just consumer clothing, but technical and performance textiles. Exemptions will apply for essential uses (medical equipment, national defence, industrial safety gear for which no PFAS-free alternative yet exists), but the direction of travel is clear.
**Why This Is Significant**
France is not alone in moving on PFAS, but it has moved furthest. Denmark banned PFAS in food contact materials in 2020. Several US states have enacted patchwork restrictions. The EU is working on a broad PFAS restriction under REACH, but the process is slow and contested by industry.
France's approach is significant both for its breadth — covering the entire PFAS family, not individual substances — and for its speed. Environmental groups have called on the EU and other member states to follow France's lead, particularly in light of growing evidence of PFAS contamination in European drinking water.
ClientEarth, the environmental law organisation, welcomed the law but noted that the exemptions for technical textiles and industrial uses create gaps that need addressing. The monitoring and enforcement provisions will be crucial: a ban is only as good as the systems that ensure compliance.
For French consumers, the change is already visible — or rather, invisible. Cosmetics that once contained PFAS compounds (often as film-forming agents in long-wear makeup or water-resistant sunscreens) must now be reformulated. Waterproof jackets and walking boots sold in France must meet new chemical standards. Ski wax, long a niche but locally significant problem around Alpine resorts, must be PFAS-free.
Forever chemicals are starting to meet their match. 🌿
*Sources: French Law No. 2025-188 (February 27, 2025) · Decree No. 2025-1376 (December 28, 2025) · ClientEarth · CIRS Group · WorldBioMarket Insights (January 2026)*
