France Published PFAS Limits in Cosmetics, Waxes, Textiles and Footwear

Targeted audience	French manufacturers, French importers and their upstream providers
Products concerned	Cosmetic products; Wax products; Textile clothing products, footwear; Waterproofing agents for textile clothing products and footwear intended for consumers; Textile products
Key industries concerned with this insight	Cosmetics, textile products, footwear
Application date	1 January 2026 (for cosmetics, waxes, textile clothing products, footwear; Waterproofing agents for textile clothing products and footwear intended for consumers). 1 January 2030 (for other textile products)
Main content or requirements	On 28 February 2025, France published Law No. 2025-188 to restrict PFAS in cosmetic products, wax products, textile clothing products, footwear, and waterproofing agents for textile clothing products and footwear intended for consumers from 1 January 2026, and in other textile products from 1 January 2030. On 30 December 2025, France published Decree No. 2025-1376 on the detailed PFAS content limits and exempted products
Reference	Link 1 Link 2

On 28 February 2025, France published Law No. 2025-188, to amend the French Environmental Code to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in cosmetic products, wax products, textile clothing products, footwear, and waterproofing agents for textile clothing products and footwear intended for consumers from 1 January 2026, and in other textile products from 1 January 2030.

On 30 December 2025, Franch further published Decree No. 2025-1376 to specify the PFAS content limits:

1. 0.025 mg/kg (25 ppb) for any PFAS as measured with targeted analysis (polymers excluded),
2. 0.25 mg/kg (250 ppb) for the sum of PFAS measured with targeted analysis, where applicable, with prior degradation of precursors (polymers excluded), and
3. 50 mg/kg (50 ppm) for PFAS (polymers included).

If total fluorine (F) content exceeds 50 mg/kg, the manufacturer, importer, exporter or distributor shall, upon request, provide to the component authorities proof that the fluorine comes from PFAS or non-PFAS substances.

The restriction does not apply to the following products:

1. Textile clothing products and footwear as personal protective equipment (PPE) covered by the EU PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425, or as personal protective equipment (PPE) and combat equipment intended for the armed forces, internal security forces, and civil security forces.
2. Waterproofing agents intended for the re-waterproofing of textile clothing products and footwear referred to in Point 1.
3. Clothing textiles and footwear incorporating at least 20% recycled material from post-consumer waste (PCR), provided that the presence of PFAS in the finished product is limited to the fraction of recycled material, and that the amount of residual PFAS permissible in the finished product is proportional to the proportion of recycled material incorporated.
4. Technical textiles for industrial use.
5. Where there is no alternative to the use of PFAS, the textiles in:
   a.  Personal protective equipment (PPE) covered by EU PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425.
   b.  Personal protective equipment (PPE) for the armed forces, internal security forces, and civil protection forces.
   c.  Equipment used in combat systems, as well as equipment intended for operations under nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical threats.
   d.  Sanitary textiles intended for medical use, including certain products used for medical care.

Transition Period

A 12-month stock clearance period is given for products manufactured before 1 January 2026.

Law No. 2025-188 also amends the French Public Health Code (CSP) and Environmental Code to regulate the PFAS in drinking water and the PFAS discharged from installations into the environment.

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