PFAS – the abbreviation stands for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances – are always man-made, they do not occur in nature. The definition of PFAS is still under discussion, but in any case they have one or more carbon atoms with several fluorine compounds. PFAS are both water and oil repellent, which is a special property. They are also resistant to very high temperatures and do not break down. All this makes them useful for raincoats, the non-stick coating in pans, fire extinguishing foam and hundreds of other products. They are added to cosmetics because of their water-repellent properties and because they do not break down quickly with use.

immune system

Long-term exposure to PFAS can be harmful to health. The substances build up in the body during life, where they hardly come out again. PFAS eventually end up in drinking water and food via rivers from factories, among other places. The Dutch are getting too much PFAS in this way, the RIVM ruled earlier this month. Previously, the institute thought that there was no harmful amount of PFAS in water and food, but in recent years researchers in the Faroe Islands and in Germany showed that PFAS at lower concentrations can already be harmful to the immune system. If people ingest less than 4.4 nanograms of PFAS per kilogram of body weight per week, there will be no health damage, says the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) now.

The researchers measured the content of carbon-fluorine compounds in products by means of mass spectrometry. This is an analytical technique with which the mass of individual charged molecules can be measured. PFAS was found to be widespread in cosmetics. Lip and eye products are especially worrying, the researchers write, because the risk of PFAS ingestion through the mouth, skin and eye is greater.

High intake

The researchers did not calculate whether the measured PFAS levels could lead to too high a dose in daily cosmetic users. But Jacob de Boer, a toxicologist at the VU University in Amsterdam and not involved in the study, says that people could ingest too much PFAS through some products. Most measured PFAS concentrations were around 100 to 200 nanograms of PFAS per gram of product. A 70-kilo person who ingests half a gram of this every day – a rough assumption, warns De Boer – does not mean that he ingests too much PFAS through cosmetics alone. But the highest concentration measured was about 4,000 nanograms of PFAS per gram; and through that product, a daily user could consume four to five times the norm. “It’s a significant contribution, that’s for sure,” says De Boer.

The researchers noted another weakness in North American law during the study. PFAS was listed as an ingredient on only 8 percent of product packaging. In Europe, too, it appears to be difficult for consumers to be aware of PFAS in cosmetics. Swedish researchers showed in a recent study how widespread PFAS is in 200 product categories, but content information about PFAS on packaging in cosmetics was found to be deficient.