Microplastics in cosmetics
Microplastics in cosmetics – what they do, how you can recognize them and avoid them
You've probably heard the word microplastics before, otherwise you probably wouldn't be here. In this article, we'll give you a quick crash course on what microplastics do and why they're harmful.
According to a 2021 study, microplastics have a major impact on climate change, although the direct effects still need to be investigated in more detail.¹ The numerous additives in plastic pose a health risk to humans and living beings. In addition to direct contact through personal consumption, such as when using conventional cosmetics, you also come into indirect contact with microplastics through the environment.²
We'll now tell you what microplastics are doing in your cosmetics, how you can recognize them, and why you should avoid them as often as possible.
What is microplastic and why is microplastic used in cosmetics?
Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters, making them virtually undetectable to the human eye.
You're probably wondering why cosmetics even use plastic in their products, right? Secondary plastic might be understandable, since it "happens" unintentionally. But deliberately producing microplastics probably sounds as incomprehensible to you as it does to us. So why? Microplastic particles actually have many functions. For one thing, they can serve as abrasives, like those found in scrubs or shower gels. They also act as binding or filling agents. Especially in creams or makeup, they act as film formers, ensuring your skin feels smooth after applying cream or makeup.
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Have you ever noticed that conventional shampoos foam a lot, while natural cosmetics often produce hardly any foam at all? One reason for this is, as you probably already guessed, microplastics. And why does your hair often feel softer after washing with conventional shampoo and conditioner than after washing with solid, natural soap? Plastic, too. But that doesn't mean the plastic has such great conditioning properties. Rather, it creates the illusion and feeling of having silky-soft and shiny hair and skin by the particles depositing a thin film on the surface.
How harmful is microplastic in cosmetics?
Through direct contact with your skin, as well as through indirect trace substances from cosmetics, microplastics, along with many other toxic particles, enter the environment and your body. We'll briefly explain here exactly what effects this has and can have. You can find more information on this topic in this book .
Consequences for our health & the environment
You've probably seen plastic on the beach, in the park, or in the stomachs of (marine) creatures yourself. Ten million tons of plastic waste end up in the world's oceans every year. Imagine if a truck dumped an entire load of plastic into the sea every minute. These large quantities become porous, particularly due to UV radiation, and over the years turn into microplastics. But it's not just your shampoo bottle that's responsible for this mass of waste; so are your shirt, your car tires, sausage packaging, fishing, and so on.
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Plastic bags are visible; you could even fish them out of the water. But what about particles smaller than 5 millimeters? You wash your face with your anti-pimple wash and scrub from a well-known brand and then apply anti-expression wrinkle cream from another well-known brand. You go to sleep. Some of the cream sticks to your pillow and some to your face, which you wash the next morning. This way, the particles end up in the drain and later in the wastewater when you wash your pillowcase. The problem is that the small microplastic particles cannot be completely filtered out by sewage treatment plants and therefore end up in waterways and, via sewage sludge, in fields and in the air. There, it takes hundreds of years for them to fully degrade. Until then, highly toxic pollutants accumulate on the particles. Because of their size, marine organisms often mistake them for their natural food. And if the creature hasn't already died, we'll eventually eat our own plastic waste, including many of the pollutants. Delicious...
But microplastics enter your body not only through the food chain, but also through direct contact with your skin from your plastic scrub or lip balm. A study (3) from this year was the first to detect tiny plastic particles in our bloodstream. How dangerous this is for humans still needs to be investigated more closely. On average, 5 grams of plastic, or about the equivalent of a credit card, of microplastics end up in your gastrointestinal tract every week. The additional pollutants that enter your body with these tiny plastic particles and the disruption of your gut microbiome are certainly a concern. (4)
Detect and avoid microplastics
By now, you should be aware of what microplastics are, how they enter the environment and your body, and what consequences they can have. This awareness is important so we can make a change. More conscious consumption. But how can you identify these tiny particles when sewage treatment plants can't filter them out and they're barely visible to the naked eye? Certified natural cosmetics are generally free of petroleum-based microplastics. Polylactic acid, a plastic made from renewable resources, is unfortunately permitted, but it's also difficult to degrade and should be avoided. For most conventional cosmetics, the only option is to read the INCI.
What is hidden behind the ingredients (INCI)?
However, plastic has many names in the list of ingredients. Here are a few to look out for:
- Acrylate Copolymer (AC)
- Acrylate Crosspolymer (ACS)
- Dimethiconol
- Methicone
- Polyamides (PA, Nylon)
- Polyacrylates (PA)
- Polymethyl methacrylates (PMMA)
- Polyquaternium (PQ)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Polyethylene glycol (PEG)
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polypropylene glycol (PPG)
- Polystyrene (PS)
- Polyurethanes (PUR)
- Siloxane
Fortunately, there are now apps that take care of the memorization and reading. All you have to do is scan the product's barcode with the app, and the questionable ingredients will be displayed. We like to use CodeCheck or ToxFox, for example. Both apps are free.
In which cosmetic products can you find microplastics?
In too many. Many conventional cosmetic products still contain microplastics, even or especially the big brands that we don't want to name here. It will probably take some time and require greater demand for pollutant-free cosmetics, even though larger corporations are now trying to change their ingredients. Fortunately, there are alternatives so that no one is forced to smear microplastics and pollutants on their skin. And before you throw away all your old cosmetics: nobody is perfect and you don't have to improve the world overnight. Use your cosmetics until they're empty and then, the next time you go shopping, try natural cosmetics without harmful additives.
Cosmetics without microplastics: rely on natural cosmetics
As already mentioned, natural cosmetics are your new best friend if you want to avoid microplastics. Why? Because not only petroleum-based microplastics are banned here, but also many other substances you don't want on your face. You can find more information about natural cosmetics in this article . In addition to natural ingredients, companies that produce natural cosmetics also pay attention to fair resource use and ethical, social production.
For example, instead of microplastics in your scrub, we use clay in our cleansing gel , which not only cleanses but also has nourishing properties. And our moisturizing cream provides your skin with the nutrients it needs to feel soft and refreshed, instead of just creating the illusion of a plastic film. A colleague will introduce you to the most important information in the short videos .
All of our products are free of microplastics. From shower gels to beard care and facial care, you'll find everything a man needs here: Good for you and for the environment.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the whole issue. Do you have any tips you'd like to share with us and the community on Instagram and Facebook ?
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FAQ
What is primary and secondary microplastic?
Primary plastic is specially manufactured industrially and then added to cosmetics, cleaning products, or other products. Secondary plastic is created by the decomposition of larger plastic pieces over a longer period of time, such as plastic bags or straws in the ocean, but also synthetic fibers from clothing. Depending on the definition, water-soluble, liquid, or gel-like plastics also fall under the term microplastics. However, when talking about microplastics, we usually mean the solid, spherical particles.
Do I have to memorize the INCI descriptions?
No, you can, but there are now good apps for that. ToxFox and CodeCheck are our favorites.
What should I do with my existing cosmetics? How do I best dispose of them?
Whether you use them or throw them away doesn't change the amount of trace substances released into the environment. And in general, too much is thrown away these days. So: enjoy using your products until they're empty. And then, the next time you're shopping, you can check out the natural beauty section of your drugstore or Brooklyn Soap .
Interesting studies used in the text:
(1) Balzer, S., Saha, S. Microplastics: An Invisible Health Hazard. MMW - Advances in Medicine 163, 20–21 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s15006-021-0240-x
(2) Heinrich Böll Foundation. (2019). The Plastic Atlas. Get your free version from https://www.boell.de/de/2019/05/14/plastikatlas?dimension1=ds_plastikatlas
(3) Leslie, H., van Velzen, M., Brandsma, S., Vethaak, A., Garcia-Vallejo, J., & Lamoree, M. (2022). Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood. Environment International, 163, 107199. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107199
(4) Gruber, ES, Stadlbauer, V., Pichler, V. et al. To Waste or Not to Waste: Questioning Potential Health Risks of Micro- and Nanoplastics with a Focus on Their Ingestion and Potential Carcinogenicity. Expo Health (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-022-00470-8
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