Microbeads: 12 types of plastic found in cosmetics

What are microbeads?

Microbeads are solid plastic particles less than 5mm in size that are insoluble in water, meaning they are a type of microplastic.

It is intentionally incorporated into cosmetics and everyday products such as detergents. Furthermore, due to advances in technology, it is now often incorporated in the form of tiny particles that can be called nano-sized.

Why use microbeads in cosmetics?

Microbeads have been added to rinse-off cosmetics such as shampoos and facial cleansers for the purpose of exfoliation and cleansing. The expected effect is to remove dry dead skin cells from the surface of the skin and improve clogged pores. This is the so-called "scrubbing" or "peeling" effect.

Before the advent of microbeads, natural ingredients such as salt and nut shells were used in hopes of achieving these effects.
However, microbeads have a smoother feel, and because they are cheap and stable, their use has spread rapidly.

Microbeads are also used in many makeup products, such as:

• Foundation
• Concealer
• Pressed Powder
• Cheek
• Eyeliner
• mascara
• lipstick
• Lip liner
• Face masks
• Wrinkle Cream

When it comes to makeup products, it is important that the color lasts a long time, does not smudge, does not come off, has good coverage, etc. The properties of microbeads allow them to add these functions to makeup products.

Microbeads used in cosmetics

There are many types of microbeads used in cosmetics, as listed below.

The raw material for microbeads is the same plastic material that is often seen in products other than cosmetics, such as plastic bottles (PET) and storage box materials (PP). These common plastic materials are also used as cosmetic ingredients.

• Polyethylene (PE)
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Polystyrene (PS)
• Polyurethane
• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
• Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)
• Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)
• polyamide
• nylon
• Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)
• Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)

Why is it not okay?

Microbeads cannot be recovered by most wastewater treatment systems, so when they are discharged after use, they end up in rivers, lakes and oceans.

They can then persist in the environment and have detrimental effects on marine life, the natural environment and ultimately human health.

For example, in Sweden , where the use of microbeads in wash-off cosmetics is banned, the following is stated:

"Microplastics are very small plastic particles that decompose extremely slowly in the environment. When they end up in lakes and oceans, they pose a risk of adverse effects on mussels, crustaceans and fish. Aquatic organisms that ingest microplastics may experience reduced food intake, inflammation and reproductive effects. In addition, aquatic organisms may ingest toxic substances contained in microplastics."

In addition, plastic products, including microbeads, contain many additives during manufacturing, some of which may raise doubts about their safety.
It is not yet clear what risks microbeads pose to the human body if accidentally ingested .

Alternative to Microbeads

It's true that the environmental impact of microbeads in cosmetics is much less than that of car tires or synthetic clothing, but if there's an alternative, it would be nice to have ingredients that are kinder to both the earth and people.

Due to growing environmental awareness, there is a growing global movement to avoid using microbeads as much as possible. Many manufacturers are replacing microbeads in rinse-off products with natural ingredients such as the following:

• Beeswax
• Rice bran oil
• Jojoba Seed Oil
• Corn
• Tapioca
• Carnauba Wax
• seaweed
• silica
• Clay

Countries that regulate microbeads and Japan that does not

In Japan, there are no laws or regulations prohibiting the use of microbeads in cosmetics, so naturally there are no penalties for using them.

On the other hand, many countries have banned the use of microbeads in wash-off cosmetics, as detailed below.

• America
• Canada
• England
• Sweden
• France
• Italy
• China
• Taiwan
• India
• South Korea
• Thailand
• new zealand
• Argentina

However, these countries only regulate wash-off cosmetics. The use of these substances in makeup and skin care products has not been regulated in most countries, including Japan, although it has been decided that they will be regulated in the EU in the future.

To make truly eco-friendly choices, it is important to check all the ingredients in your cosmetics yourself. Make sure they do not contain microbeads like those mentioned in this article.