‘Forever chemicals’ banned in beauty products from 2027, Environmental Protection Authority rules

Are there "forever chemicals" in your makeup?

When you apply your makeup in the morning, touch up your lipstick or paint your nails, you’re probably not thinking too hard about what’s in the products you’re using.

But research has shown over half of the beauty products we use each day contain “forever chemicals” - a group of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) used to repel water or dirt that can negatively affect our health and the environment, as they don’t break down.

Now, New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Agency has made the move to ban these chemicals from beauty products. From the end of 2026, cosmetics containing PFAs will no longer be able to be made in New Zealand or imported here, and after a one-year grace period, they will be banned permanently.

Aotearoa is one of the irst countries to enact a ban on PFAs, which include about 10,000 synthetic chemicals, in a bid to protect people’s health and the natural environment.

You’ll find PFAs in many beauty products, from foundation to shaving cream, as they’re added to help smoothen skin, make products last longer, and to resist moisture - think waterproof mascara.

Reporting on the study, BusinessDesk notes that according to the EPA, “The chemicals don’t easily break down, build up in people’s bodies and can be toxic at high concentrations.”

The EPA’s hazardous substances reassessments manager Shaun Presow said though research showed PFAs were found in just a few products, it was important to take precautions.

“Banning these chemicals in cosmetics is part of our ongoing response, which includes phasing out all PFAs fire-fighting foams and testing for background levels of PFAs in the NZ environment.”

“We’ve also strengthened the regulations so non-hazardous cosmetic products that contain a hazardous ingredient are now regulated,” he added.

University of Auckland’s School of Environment Associate Professor Melanie Kah told One News last year the ban would be a “fantastic move”, explaining PFAs typically don’t degrade as they’re made of strongly bonded fluorine and carbon.

“It’s a little bit like plastic. It stays in the environment for several hundreds of years - that’s far too long.”

Players in the New Zealand beauty industry like Emma Lewisham and Sans Ceuticals’ Lucy Vincent have reacted positively to the ban, saying it’s “about time” this step was taken.

The ban on "forever chemicals" will come into full effect from 2027. Photo / 123rf

It comes after the Guardian reported on a study showing workout clothes made of synthetic materials like polyester or spandex could also be leaching toxic “forever chemicals” when worn.

Research done by the University of Birmingham concentrated on a particular type of compound called brominated flame retardants (BFR) which are used in several products, including fabrics to prevent burning.

They’re also thought to be a cause of hormonal disruption, thyroid disease and neurological issues.

The researchers found that because sweat contains oil, and oil’s lipophilic chemical nature can cause the chemicals in plastic to dissolve, your body’s oils can leach chemicals from plastics you come into contact with.

In other words, the oil in our sweat “help[s] the bad chemicals to come out of the microplastic fibres and become available for human absorption”, according to the study’s principal investigator and associate professor in environmental science at the University of Birmingham, Dr Mohamed Abdallah.