An important aspect of body care is exfoliation. Mild abrasive removal of dry/dead skin cells from the surface of the skin on the face and body unblocks and removes ingrained dirt from pores, improves blood flow, brightens appearance, neutralizes blemishes, and leaves skin feeling smooth and fresh. 

Exfoliants

To meet consumer demand the beauty industry has invested millions of dollars developing and incorporating mildly abrasive exfoliants into their products.

Exfoliants have traditionally been obtained from natural sources, including  crushed seed kernels, or pumice, but during recent years increased demand led to the development of synthetic alternatives, commonly known as microbeads. Usually made from polyethylene or polypropylene, microbeads offer a cheap, high quality and inert alternative to natural exfoliants. 

The tiny particles in microbeads, which are less than 0.5 mm in diameter, are effective but gentle on the skin, and safe for consumers in use. However, there is growing global concern about the contribution of microplastics – from a wide range of sources –  to pollution in our waterways and oceans, and ultimately to human health and wellbeing. An investigation by scientists for the U.K. government cited figures indicating that taking just one shower could result in 100,000 plastic particles entering the ocean. Figures by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) estimate that 80,000 to 219,000 tonnes of microplastics enter the marine ecosystem from Europe every year¹. 

Environmental pollutants

The potential effects on marine life are manifold. The United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) states that microplastics can cause physical harm to digestive tissues, and because microbeads can absorb toxic environmental pollutants, they may also effectively poison marine organisms that ingest them.²

When scientists tested 504 fish taken from the English channel, they found that more than one third had plastics in their digestive tracts.³ Another study found that up to up 10% of a seabird’s weight may be made up of ingested plastics.³ Many of the more than 280 marine species that have been found to ingest microplastics play important roles in food chains and marine ecosystems.³

While research is ongoing into how far microbeads in the marine ecosystem might harm people by entering the human food chain, scientists fear that the presence of microplastics in foodstuffs could potentially increase direct exposure of humans to plastic-associated chemicals leached into microbeads.

Many cosmetics manufacturers already have, or are in the process of phasing out synthetic microbeads from rinse-off products such as shower gels, face washes and toothpastes. Governments, including those in the U.K. and U.S. are also acting to impose national bans on the use and/or manufacture of synthetic microbeads for these same product groups.  Environmental group Greenpeace called the U.K.’ government’s move to ban the sale and manufacture of microbeads in rinse-off products by the end of 2017⁴ “the strongest ban on microbeads in the world to date⁵”

 While legislation represents an important step in the drive to clear our oceans of harmful microplastics, the new laws only cover products that are designed to be washed or rinsed off and so end up down the drain. What they don’t address are products such as sunscreens, which are designed to stay on the skin. Removing synthetic microbeads from this type of cosmetic would, the manufacturers reportedly claim,⁶ require them to reformulate up to 90% of their products.