On December 28, 2025, the French government issued Bill No. 2025-1376 in the Official Gazette, supplementing Bill No. 2025-188. Starting January 1, 2026, a ban on the production, import, export, and sale of cosmetics, ski wax, textiles, footwear, and waterproofing agents containing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) went into effect.
Key Additions
1. Definitions of "PFAS" and "Market Placement"
- "PFAS": Refers to any substance containing at least one perfluorinated methyl group (CF3-) or methylene group (-CF2-), with no hydrogen, chlorine, bromine, or iodine atoms attached to the group.
- "Market Placement": Refers to the act of making a product available to a third party for the first time, whether for a fee or free of charge. Any importation is considered market placement.
2. Core Ban
- From January 1, 2026, the aforementioned products will be prohibited from entering the market if their PFAS content exceeds specified thresholds.
- Products manufactured before 2026 may continue to be sold or exported, but with a maximum grace period of 12 months (until December 31, 2026).
3. Residual Threshold Standards
- For any PFAS measured through targeted analysis (excluding polymers), the threshold is set at 25 ppb;
- For total PFAS measured as the sum of targeted PFAS analyses (including, if necessary, pre-degradation of precursor substances, excluding polymers), the threshold is set at 250 ppb;
- For PFAS, including polymers, the threshold is set at 50 ppm. If the total fluorine measurement exceeds 50 mg F/kg, manufacturers, importers, exporters, or market placers must provide evidence, upon request by the competent authorities, proving that the fluorine content originates from PFAS or non-PFAS substances.
4. Exemption List
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and equipment used by military, police, civil security, and firefighting personnel;
- Technical textiles for industrial use;
- Medical, nuclear, biological, and chemical protective equipment, as well as combat systems, for which no alternatives are currently available;
- Clothing/footwear containing ≥20% post-consumer recycled materials (PFAS is only permitted in the recycled portion, calculated proportionally).
