The US Ban on Microbeads. What You Need To Know.

It’s a great week for ethical, eco beauty as President Obama just signed the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, a bill banning microbeads from all cosmetics products sold in the US!

It’s about time the government fin-ah-lly stepped up to the plate, as they generally lag on environmental and consumer safety legislation.

So here’s a whole breakdown on what you need to know concerning microbeads in your beauty products, why you should make the switch now, which brands to avoid, and which ones you can trust.

What are Microbeads?

They are synthetic (polyethylene or polypropylene) spheres, less than 5mm in size, which are used to help exfoliate the skin in face scrubs, body cleansers, and in some toothpastes.

Why are Microbeads are bad?

Simply said, microbeads aren’t biodegradable. They collect on the bottom of lakes, fish eat them, larger marine life in turn eat them and then (some of us) eat that seafood too.

It’s basically bad for everyone involved because microplastics can attract and collect concentrated amounts of toxic chemicals wherever they sit – forever.

Sherri A. Mason, an environmental chemist who helped lead one of the most important studies on microbeads at the State University of New York, estimates that 11 billion microbeads are released into the nation’s waterways each day.

Sewage plants aren’t able to keep them from flowing back into our environment.

“Once used by the consumer, the plastic microbeads may be washed down the drain, but few, if any, wastewater treatment facilities capture all floating, non-biodegradable particulate of 0.5 mm size or smaller.” (source Marine Pollution Bulletin)

Banning Microbeads

According to the new microbead banning law, cosmetics and personal care manufacturers are being forced to do the right thing and reformulate.

Something, that in my opinion, those brands should’ve been doing all along.

The bill stipulates companies will have until 2017 for cosmetics and 2018 for toothpaste to stop the manufacturing of these items.

Which brands contain Microbeads?

It’s not going to surprise you that it’s a lot of the “big boys” using microbeads like Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Estée Lauder Companies, who are umbrella corporations with smaller brands such as Clinique, Neutrogena, and (gasp!) Aveeno and Ahava.

Beat The Microbead Organization offers a comprehensive list of products with microbeads in them, separated out by country that I highly recommend looking at.

Alternatives to Microbeads

The cool thing is that there are a ton of solutions, including (and especially) totally natural exfoliants such as jojoba beads, and sugar or salt scrubs that you can either DIY or buy.

Of course an abrasive loofah, sponge or cloth will work to slough off dead skin effectively. Just be sure to get the right kind of scrubbing item, or you could wreck your skin.

Click here for some really stellar, natural, organic face and body scrubs I love.

Check out Beat The Microbead for their lists of plastic-free brands to help consumers make informed choices – in multiple languages. Wow!

Final Thoughts

The environmental impact of microbeads has been talked about is some way since the 1970s, and the brands who didn’t choose to reformulate on their own really get BIG black mark in my book!

I personally don’t want to support any brand that doesn’t change for the better health of our planet and its inhabitants until they’re forced into it.

These plastics are only a small part of a much larger plastic pollution problem which exists in our waterways.

So while this bill is a step in the right direction, and it’s creating much need awareness around the issue, we still cannot ignore our own use of plastics in our daily lives as it contributes to ecological global destruction.

Did this article make you reconsider some products you’re already using? I’d love to hear from you on how you plan to reduce your plastic use going forward. Let me know in the comments below!

Feature image by Gabieola. Other images by Kristen Arnett and 5GYRES.

Kristen Arnett

Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Green Beauty Team, Kristen Arnett has been immersed in the world of beauty for over 15 years, with roles ranging from product development to a career as an international makeup artist. She uses only the best in natural, organic, green makeup and skincare for her high-profile fashion and celebrity clientele.