Invisible danger: Plastics in cosmetics

Today, our oceans are exposed to a multitude of threats. One of the biggest is the pollution caused by our plastic waste. The smaller the plastic is, the more it can affect those ocean animals that take it in with their food. One of the worst is microplastics. I am sure you have this many times. But what are those?

plastics in shower gel will end up in our water system

Where do all these microplastics come from?

Microplastics are "primary microplastics" that are solid and insoluble synthetic polymers in the size range of below five (5) millimeters to a thousand nanometers. That is pretty tiny! In this size or less before entering the environment these come from microfibers from clothing, microbeads, and plastic pellets (also known as nurdles). The primary microplastics are used in the cosmetics industry. However, they are also liquid plastics used as turbidity or binder. Then there are the so-called "secondary microplastics", which results from the disintegration of larger plastic parts in the weathering process via wave motion and sunlight. Common to both forms of microplastics is that it remains in the sea for decades and spreads with the currents throughout the seas.

Plastic in our cosmetic

Unfortunately, in most cosmetic products you can find plastic. They are being used as abrasives, binders, film formers and fillers. And this in form as microplastics or liquid form. Via our sewage, the plastic ends up in our local wastewater treatment plants but they are limited in what they can filter and they end up in our oceans and rivers destroying our environment.

And environmental and health disaster

We are already aware of the fact that microplastic can be found in the oceans and are harmful to fish and mussels. And fish and mussels are a food source for birds, ocean mammals, and us humans.

Ingesting microplastics could cause several potentially harmful effects on humans. Rachel Adams, a senior lecturer in Biomedical Science explains causes like:

• Inflammation which can cause damage to our tissue

• An immune response which can cause damage to our bodies

• Becoming carriers for other plastics: "microplastics generally repel water and will bind to toxins that don't dissolve, so microplastics can bind to compounds containing toxic metals such as mercury, and organic pollutants such as some pesticides and chemicals called dioxins, which are known to causes cancer, as well as reproductive and developmental problems. If these microplastics enter the body, toxins can accumulate in fatty tissues."

The Ban

Many countries have started to ban microplastic, which is great. However, they only banned so-called microbeads. Microbeads are solid particles that we can see with our eyes (remember those blue beads in facial peelings?) Synthetic polymers in dissolved or liquid form are excluded from these announcements. However, these are considered to be hard to not degradable.

Still plastic in cosmetics?

Learn to read the labels. These ingredients are not good for you or the environment:

Polyethylene (PE)

Polypropylene (PP)

Polyethylenterephthalat (PET)

Nylon-12

Nylon-6

Polyurethane (PUR)

Acrylates Copolymer (AC)

Acrylates Crosspolymer (ACS)

Polyacrylate (PA)

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)

Polystyrene (PS)

Polyquaternium (PQ)

The best plastic is the one we do not use. Please stay away from products that contain plastic and microplastics, and find alternatives!