In the beauty world, a lot of greenwashing and bullshit about anti-aging, but something that is really true and does pose a problem: microplastics in personal care products. They are regularly deliberately added to products to make them smoother, make them spread better or give them a shine. And that is a problem: for nature and possibly also for your health. Apply, but apply microplastic-free. And this is how you do it!
Microplastics are everywhere, including on your make-up table
Day cream, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, body lotion, foundation, mascara, lip gloss, shaving cream, deodorant and even lip balm and baby care: all these products may contain microplastics. Not accidentally, but deliberately added by the manufacturer. Why? Sometimes to make the product smoother, or to spread colour and shine better. Only... as a consumer, you don't always see that on the packaging. Microplastics are often hidden behind complicated chemical names, and it is far from clear whether an ingredient is a form of plastic. Names like polyethylene, acrylates copolymer or polyquaternium say nothing to most people.
Microplastics ingested through personal care products
The chances that you use or have used cosmetics containing microplastics are really high. Research by Plastic Soup Foundation shows that as many as 87% of the products from ten popular cosmetics brands contain microplastics. They also estimate that around 3,800 tonnes of microplastics are released annually in Europe through personal care products alone. In short, we flush a lot of plastic particles down the drain every day. And that is an understatement. Those microplastics do not disappear, they remain floating around. They are hardly filtered out of waste water and end up in the environment: in rivers, oceans, animals... and via the food chain they are already in you. They have even found microplastics in the placenta of pregnant women. With beauty products, there is even a good chance that you will find them via a shortcut ingest directly. Especially with toothpaste, lip gloss and spreads such as day creams and foundation, this seems plausible to us.
There is growing evidence that microplastics can be harmful to our health. For example, the director of the Plastic Soup Foundation told the TV programme Radar (2019) that these tiny particles may affect immune cells and lung cells, leading to inflammatory reactions and endocrine disruptions. Scientists have been warning about this risk for some time, but also indicate that more research is needed to determine exactly what microplastics do in the human body.
What can you do? Tips for microplastic-free grooming!
OK, you want to get rid of microplastics. An impossible task? Not quite. Because yes, microplastics are spread in many more ways than just through personal care products. Think about the wearing out of car tyres, washing synthetic clothing, the soles of your shoes, crumbling fishing nets, plastic waste... You can't influence everything. But what you put on your skin? You do have a choice in that. And the good news: you can simply prevent this.
Download the free app Beat the Microbead from Plastic Soup Foundation. You take a picture of a product's ingredients list and the app does the rest. Within seconds, you get a clear verdict: red means the product contains microplastics, orange indicates doubtful and green is safe: your product is microplastic-free!
There is also the Zero Plastic Inside label, an additional identifying mark from Plastic Soup Foundation. Only brands that are guaranteed not to use microplastics are allowed to carry this label. But beware: there are also plenty of brands and products that are microplastic-free, but do not (yet) carry this logo. So the logo is a handy guide, but not the only indicator.
The best choice remains to go for truly eco-friendly brands. And yes, that is easier said than done. By all greenwashing and vague claims, you sometimes can't see the wood for the trees. Fortunately, there are some reliable labels that can help you on your way. These labels pay attention to the environment, health, animal welfare and often also to natural ingredients, thus excluding microplastics. These include the EU Ecolabel, COSMOS, Demeter, Nordic Swan Ecolabel, NaTrue and the Natural Cosmetics Standard. In doubt about a label? Then check hallmark indicator.nl for cosmetics. That way, you avoid being fooled by a green-looking but vacuous logo.
No more microplastics in personal care products for you!
Yes, avoiding microplastics altogether is an impossible task. But when it comes to your personal care products, cosmetics and other spreads, you can go a long way. Do not be seduced by seemingly green packaging or an ‘inspiring’ brand name or slogan. Do a little more research yourself: checking a label with the BTM app is a snap. And next time, spend a bit more on a brand that carries a good label is not difficult either. We have even done some of the preliminary work. But don't stress: just use up what you already have first, because throwing it away is also a waste. And microplastics are unfortunately already ‘everywhere’. When a beauty product runs out, start with a clean slate and choose a better alternative!
Sources: National Library of Medicine, Science Direct, Plastic Soup Foundation, Beat the Microbead, Radar. Photo credits: Karolina Grabowska, Pexels (left), Mariam Antadze, Pexels (right).
