California bans all cosmetics and clothing containing ‘forever chemicals’

The bills make California the first state to ban PFAS in textiles

California governor Gavin Newsom has signed two bills into law banning toxic “forever chemicals,” also known as PFAS, from being added to cosmetics, clothing textiles and personal care products sold in the state.

These chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, have been in use since the 1940s and are commonly found in nonstick cookware, waterproof cosmetics, firefighting foams, as well as commercial products that resist grease and oil.

Studies have shown these chemicals to be extremely persistent in the environment and link them to developmental effects in children, reduced immunity, hormone disruption, and increased risks of different types of cancer.

Recent research has also found these potentially harmful chemicals in stain-resistant school uniforms, likely exposing millions of children to their effects.

Scientists have called for these chemicals to be eliminated from uniforms, and from all other products where they are not essential.

The two bills go into effect from 1 January, 2025 with one of them – AB 1817 – making California the first state to ban PFAS in textiles.

“I applaud the Governor for signing this meaningful legislation into law, and once again making California a leader in getting rid of PFAS. By banning its use in fabrics, AB 1817 addresses a source of environmental contamination and reduces human exposure to these toxic chemicals,” assembly member Phil Ting, who wrote the bill, said in a statement.

“This is a first-in-the nation law to stop the use of these ‘forever chemicals’ in this product category, setting up a national model on the efforts to mitigate PFAS pollution. It’s a great follow-up to my legislation from last year, which bans these harmful substances in food packaging,” Mr Ting said.

Companies manufacturing outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions such as raincoats have an additional 3 years to comply with the new law to find safe substitutes for PFAS.

The other bill, AB 2771, bans any “person or entity from manufacturing, selling, delivering, holding or offering for sale in commerce any cosmetic product that contains intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.”

The two bills prohibit the sale of items with 100 parts per million or more of total organic fluorine from 2025, with this threshold dropping to 50 ppm from 2027.