Which US States Have Enacted or Enforced PFAS Restrictions in 2026?

This blog was originally posted on 8th September, 2026. Further regulatory developments may have occurred after publication. To keep up-to-date with the latest compliance news, sign up to our newsletter.

AUTHORED BY LUISA TORO CORREA, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST, Adherent

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Key Insight

In 2026, eight US states enacted or amended PFAS-related product restrictions, most of them targeting cosmetics and other consumer products, while restrictions in five additional states took effect and became operative for the first time. Together, these developments show US PFAS regulation shifting from a legislative watchlist into an active, operational compliance responsibility for product companies, and the list of applicable states is likely to keep changing as more bills move through statehouses.

Table of Contents

• New State Laws Enacted or Amended in 2026
• State PFAS Restrictions Already in Effect in 2026
• What This Means for Product Compliance Teams
• FAQ

PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” regulation in the United States continued to expand rapidly in 2026, with state authorities advancing reporting requirements, product restrictions, labeling obligations, and chemical disclosure measures. Adherent’s PFAS regulatory hub tracks these changes as part of its broader monitoring of chemicals in products regulation worldwide, and this article is adapted directly from Adherent’s whitepaper, “PFAS: United States Key Regulatory Developments – 2026 Update” (published July 22, 2026).

At the state level, 2026 brought new laws affecting cosmetics, consumer products, and menstrual products, alongside PFAS restrictions that reached their compliance dates during the year. This article walks through both: the state bills enacted or amended in 2026, and the earlier state laws whose PFAS provisions became operative this year, so product compliance teams can see at a glance where obligations already exist and where they are still taking shape.

New State Laws Enacted or Amended in 2026

As of August 2026, eight states enacted, amended, or adopted PFAS-related product requirements in 2026. Effective dates vary widely, so a law being enacted this year does not necessarily mean its restrictions apply yet. For a side-by-side comparison across all US states, Adherent’s State-by-State Comparison: PFAS in Products Legislation Across the US guide maps each requirement in full.

Illinois: Chemicals in Cosmetic Products Act (House Bill 3409)

Introduced in 2025, the bill became Public Act 104-0545 on July 10, 2026. Its requirements take effect July 1, 2028. The Act prohibits the manufacture, sale, delivery, holding, or offering for sale of cosmetic products containing specified intentionally added chemicals. It permits technically unavoidable trace quantities resulting from impurities, manufacturing, storage, or packaging where the product was manufactured through a process intended to comply with the Act.

Maryland: Cosmetic Products Enforcement and Penalties for Prohibited Ingredients (House Bill 1533)

Enacted April 28, 2026, HB 1533 strengthens enforcement of Maryland’s restrictions on cosmetics containing specified prohibited ingredients, including formaldehyde, mercury, certain phthalates, multiple PFAS, and lead. Effective July 1, 2026, violations are also treated as unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practices and may result in enhanced investigations, civil damages, and other penalties. Illinois, Maryland, and the other cosmetics-specific laws below add to a fast-growing patchwork; Adherent’s dedicated article on PFAS in Cosmetics: US State Bans and Compliance Deadlines goes deeper into that cosmetics-only picture across a wider set of states.

Minnesota: Updating PFAS Product Reporting Requirements (Section 4, Senate File 4612)

Enacted May 26, 2026, Section 4 limits Minnesota’s PFAS product reporting requirements to products manufactured on or after July 1, 2023, excluding older inventory from the reporting program. Covered manufacturers must report products sold, offered for sale, or distributed in Minnesota that contain intentionally added PFAS. Minnesota’s broader reporting framework, including its 2026 reporting deadlines, is covered in more detail in Adherent’s article PFAS Pressure Is Rising: Is Your Product Portfolio Ready for Minnesota?

New Jersey: Protecting Against Forever Chemicals (PFAS) (Senate Bill 1042, 3R)

Enacted January 12, 2026, the Act prohibits cosmetics, carpets, fabric treatments, and qualifying food packaging containing intentionally added PFAS from being sold or distributed in New Jersey beginning January 12, 2028. It also establishes English- and Spanish-language disclosure requirements for cookware containing intentionally added PFAS and restricts misleading PFAS-free claims. Technically unavoidable trace quantities and PFAS present only in certain internal or electronic components are excluded.

New Mexico: Toxic PFAS in Consumer Products (NMAC 20.13.2, Rule)

Enacted April 17, 2026, the rule became effective July 1, 2026. It establishes PFAS product prohibitions, reporting, labeling, testing, fees, determinations of currently unavoidable use, and enforcement requirements. Prohibitions begin in 2027 for certain products, expand in 2028 to categories including cosmetics, textiles, and upholstered furniture, and become broadly applicable in 2032 unless an exemption or currently unavoidable use determination applies. Minnesota and New Mexico both pair product restrictions with standalone reporting obligations; Adherent’s roundup Beyond PFAS Bans: Which U.S. States Require Product Reporting, looks specifically at that reporting layer across states.

Rhode Island: Prohibiting Certain Products with Intentionally Added PFAS (House Bill 7734 amendment)

Rhode Island’s original Consumer PFAS Ban Act was enacted June 26, 2024, and a clarifying amendment under House Bill 7734 was enacted June 19, 2026. The law prohibits intentionally added PFAS in covered products, including cosmetics, cookware, carpets, juvenile products, menstrual products, textiles, and ski wax, beginning January 1, 2027, with later requirements applying to certain products in 2029. The 2026 amendment clarifies enforcement provisions, participation in a multijurisdictional PFAS clearinghouse, and the process for granting product exemptions.

Utah: Consumer Products Amendments (House Bill 493)

Enacted March 19, 2026, HB 493 requires manufacturers of menstrual products manufactured on or after December 1, 2027, to disclose each intentionally added ingredient, generally in descending order by weight. The information must be conspicuous and legible on the product packaging, although a website link or similar technology may be used to provide the required information. The Act took effect May 6, 2026, and violations may result in fines of up to $2,500 per violation.

Virginia: Humane Cosmetics Act amendment (House Bill 122)

Virginia’s original Humane Cosmetics Act was enacted March 12, 2021, and the chemical ingredient restrictions introduced by HB 122 were enacted April 13, 2026. The amendment prohibits the manufacture, sale, delivery, offering for sale, or use in a consumer transaction of cosmetic products containing specified intentionally added chemicals, while permitting technically unavoidable trace quantities. The new restrictions took effect July 1, 2026, with a sell-through provision for qualifying retailer inventory acquired before that date.

State PFAS Restrictions Already in Effect in 2026

Beyond the new bills above, several previously enacted state PFAS laws reached their compliance dates during 2026. These sit alongside the 2026 enactments above, and the full picture across all fifty states is kept current in the State-by-State Comparison guide.

Effective January 1, 2026

• Colorado: Selected PFAS product restrictions under Senate Bill 24-081 (enacted 2024) took effect.
• Maine: Additional PFAS product prohibitions under LD 1503 (2021), as amended by LD 1537 (2024) 
• Washington: Under the Safer Products Restrictions and Reporting rule (May 2023, amended 2025 to cover apparel, accessories, and cleaning products), manufacturers must identify and track consumer products under the new reporting requirements.
• Vermont: PFAS prohibitions began for cosmetics, menstrual products, textiles, carpets and rugs, juvenile products, ski wax, artificial turf, food packaging, and certain other products under Senate Bill 25 (enacted 2024), as amended by House Bill 238 (enacted 2025).

Effective July 1, 2026

• Connecticut: Notification, fee, and labeling obligations under Senate Bill 292 (enacted 2024) reached their first operational date.
• Virginia: Restrictions on cosmetics containing specified intentionally added chemicals, including PFAS, took effect under the Humane Cosmetics Act amendment (House Bill 122).

What This Means for Product Compliance Teams

2026 marks the point at which PFAS product regulation is shifting from a legislative watchlist to an operational compliance responsibility. Together, these developments reflect an increasingly complex and fragmented PFAS regulatory landscape. The direction of travel is clear: PFAS oversight is expanding across product categories and jurisdictions, while definitions, exemptions, deadlines, and compliance mechanisms continue to differ from one state to another.

For product compliance teams, this means the list of states with PFAS restrictions in effect today is unlikely to look the same twelve months from now. Fourteen states now have some form of enacted PFAS product law, each with its own scope, exemptions, and timeline, which makes manual, state-by-state tracking increasingly difficult to sustain at scale.

Adherent’s agentic AI product compliance platform continuously monitors global regulatory sources and maps PFAS-related changes directly to your products, materials, and markets, so your team always knows what applies, what’s at risk, and what’s required to act next. You can download the full whitepaper this article is based on for the complete federal and state analysis, including the priority actions Adherent’s regulatory team recommends for the rest of 2026.

FAQ

• Which US states adopted new PFAS-related product requirements in 2026?
  Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia all enacted, amended, or adopted PFAS-related product requirements in 2026, most commonly affecting cosmetics, consumer products, and PFAS reporting or disclosure obligations.
• Are any PFAS restrictions already in effect in 2026?
  Yes. PFAS product restrictions in Colorado, Maine, Washington, and Vermont took effect January 1, 2026. Connecticut PFAS notification and labeling requirements and Virginia cosmetic restrictions took effect July 1, 2026. 
• Do all of these 2026 state requirements apply immediately?
  No. Several have delayed or phased effective dates, including Illinois (July 2028), New Jersey (January 2028), New Mexico (phased from 2027 through 2032), and Rhode Island (2027, with further requirements in 2029).
• What products are most affected by the 2026 state PFAS actions?
  Cosmetics are the most common target across the 2026 enacted laws, though several states also restrict PFAS in cookware, carpets, textiles, menstrual products, and food packaging.

This article is adapted from Adherent’s whitepaper, “PFAS: United States Key Regulatory Developments – 2026 Update” (published July 22, 2026). Further regulatory developments may have occurred after that publication date. Download the full whitepaper for the complete federal and state analysis, or speak to Adherent about tracking PFAS and other product compliance requirements continuously.

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