French startup develops hi-tech anti-pollution mask

The reusable fabric mask beats the European certificate standards as it removes particles as small as 0.05 micrometers

French startup R-Pur has designed a reusable, hi-tech anti-pollution mask. It has a replaceable filter and is synched with an app that estimates when the filter should be replaced based on the air quality of the user’s location.

R-Pur’s V2 mask was featured at CES 2019 and the startup says it has sold 10,000 masks, 70 percent of which were in France. It is now aiming its product at Asian countries such as Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Japan.

“People responded well to our online marketing campaign after recent air pollution episodes in Thailand and in South Korea, which reinforced our decision to enter Asian markets,” Flavien Hello, R-Pur’s CEO and co-founder, told the South China Morning Post.  

The mask, which took two years and cost €500,000 to develop, sells for €195, making it one of the more expensive anti-pollution masks on the market.