Microbeads are use in a wide variety of bath and beauty products and can be found in soap, toothpaste and scrubs. The difference is that microbeads are not made from jojoba oil like the jojoba beads. Microbeads are made of plastic (commonly polyethylene)
After the microbeads are used, they usually go down the drain. The microbeads then flow through the sewer system and wastewater treatment plants, which are not able to filter the beads due to the small size. This causes plastc water pollution. In 2015, samples from 6 ny filter plants found that nearly 3/4 of the treated water contained microbeads. Microbeads are not biodegradable.
There is something you can do to help. Chances are if the ingredients are this bad for the environment, they are bad for your skin as well. Luckily there are products out there that do not contain microbeads. Arbonne products use jojoba beads, among other botanicals as a safer alternative.
Jojoba beads are commonly mistaken for microbeads as they look similar. Jojoba oil is a liquid wax, when made solid, become the jojoba beads. Beat the microbead is a campaign to ban the ingredient from products in the u.s. Which has just been succesful. Microbeads can act like tiny sponges, taking in harmful chemicals before being eaten, usually by marine life. It provides an app that allows consumers to determine whether they contain the plastic beads and whether the manufacturer has agreed to remove them or not.
Just another thing to look out for in the saftey of your personal care products!
No comments:
Post a Comment