Today, France has passed a new law that will ban PFAS in several products including clothing and cosmetics.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of over 10,000 highly persistent synthetic chemicals often called ‘forever chemicals’, because they do not break down easily in the environment. Exposure to some PFAS has been linked to numerous adverse health impacts, such as the promotion of certain cancers, disruption of the immune system and reduced fertility.

Despite some opposition the law was supported by the majority of members of the French Parliament. Prior to the vote, over 140,000 French citizens called on their MPs to back the Bill.

When the ban was first proposed in 2024 by French Green MP Nicolas Thierry it also included cookware, but this was excluded following intense industry lobbying and despite alternatives being readily available. The new law is however still a crucial step towards protecting French citizens and nature from these harmful chemicals. It will also take steps towards making polluters pay to clean up the contamination they are causing, by introducing a fee on companies emitting PFAS into the environment.

France now joins Denmark in leading the way on action on PFAS. CHEM Trust hopes that other member states similarly bring in protections for their citizens from these chemicals, whilst they wait for action at the EU level.

However, national bans are not a substitute for EU action. The proposed universal Restriction on PFAS must be implemented to provide protections for people and nature across Europe. This restriction will ban PFAS as a group across most uses, from clothes and cookware to cars, and allows generous transition times to allow industry to adapt.

Sandra Bell of CHEM Trust said

“This ban on PFAS in products like clothing and cosmetics is great news for French citizens worried about their exposure to these harmful chemicals. The not so good news is that some key products like cookware were exempted. Now France needs to get firmly behind an EU wide restriction on PFAS ensuring more products are included and citizens of all member states are protected”.

Find out more about the French ban here and about the universal PFAS restriction here.

Read more about PFAS here.

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