Europe's New Chemical Ceiling: What the PFHxA Limits Mean for Clothing, Cosmetics and Pizza Boxes
Published on 10/12/2026 at 17:01 | Editorial boerse-global.de
A 24-month countdown for industry came to an end on 10 October 2026, when binding EU-wide limits on undecafluorohexanoic acid — better known as PFHxA — and its salts and related substances took effect. The rules cover textiles, leather, footwear, fur and hides used in clothing, along with cosmetics such as face creams.
The legal basis is Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2462 of 19 September 2024, which amended entry 79 of Annex XVII to REACH, the EU's chemicals regulation. The October deadline marked the expiry of the 24-month transition period set out in that amendment.
Tight thresholds, with carve-outs
The regulation sharply restricts how the chemicals may be placed on the market. For any homogeneous material, the limit for the sum of PFHxA and its salts is 25 µg/kg (25 ppb). For the sum of all PFHxA-related substances, the ceiling is 1,000 µg/kg (1,000 ppb).
Beyond clothing, shoes and cosmetics, the restrictions also apply to consumer mixtures such as waterproofing sprays, and to food-contact materials made of paper and cardboard — pizza boxes and paper cups among them.
Brussels has been careful to stress that this is not a blanket ban on all PFAS. It targets one specific group of substances and defined uses. Personal protective equipment in the highest risk category, medical devices, in-vitro diagnostics and construction textiles remain outside the scope.
Products already purchased do not have to be thrown away. Retailers may continue selling goods placed on the market before 10 October 2026, provided the supplier can furnish the relevant proof.
Where the rules came from
Germany set the process in motion, filing a dossier with the European Chemicals Agency in December 2019. Berlin initially proposed an 18-month transition period; the Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis at the time argued for 36 months, and the two-year window was ultimately agreed. PFHxA had frequently been used as a substitute for PFOA, which is already regulated.
Consumer advocate Kerstin Effers of the Verbraucherzentrale NRW pointed out that the ban covers only the C6 substance group PFHxA and therefore does not address all PFAS compounds. The urgency of protective measures is underlined by the research: two-thirds of young people in Germany have at least three PFAS detectable in their blood at the same time.
Water bodies, too, show severe contamination in places. At Hahn Airport in Rhineland-Palatinate, concentrations in the Brühlbach stream run 3,500 times higher than the EU environmental quality standard. Pressure is building internationally as well: individual US states have banned the chemicals in firefighting gear, and San Francisco is phasing out all PFAS-containing protective suits.
More deadlines ahead for industry
Packaging faced stricter rules even before this stage. Since 12 August 2026, the EU Packaging Regulation's requirements for food-contact packaging have applied across all materials in parallel. Those set limits of below 25 ppb for any single PFAS, below 250 ppb for the sum of specifically measured PFAS, and below 50 ppm for PFAS including polymeric compounds.
The phase-out of PFHxA proceeds in further steps. Restrictions on firefighting foams used in exercises and tests, and by public fire services, have applied since 10 April 2026. Textiles outside the clothing sector — carpets, curtains, home textiles and upholstery covers among them — follow from 10 October 2027. For firefighting foams in civil aviation, the transition period finally ends on 10 October 2029.
