How to recognise microplastics in cosmetics? 

Did you know there are microplastics in cosmetics?

Everyone has their favourite care products and cosmetics. Unfortunately, most are bad for the environment and your health. A lot of beauty products are full of microplastics. The miniscule plastics added to scrubs, shower gel and toothpaste for their cleansing function. Microplastics are even added to sunscreen and shampoos. In our sustainable sunscreen blog you can read everything about natural and zero-waste sunscreens. In our blog about organic hairdressers you can find out all information about plastics in shampoos and why you should choose a biological hairdresser. 

How do they end up in the ocean?

When rinsing products like scrub or toothpaste, microbeads flush away with the water via the drain towards rivers and oceans. Animals drink from these rivers and fish also swallow plastic particles . Eventually the microplastics end up in our food chain. They have already been found in food and beverages like beer, honey and tap water. So it doesn’t surprise us that plastic already been revealed in human faeces. The effect on our health is still unknown, but we know for sure plastics in our body can’t mean any good. Plastics, which are petroluem based, contain stabilizers or flame retardants, and other toxic chemicals that pose a danger to humans and animals.

Is glitter in cosmetics safe?

Just as with polyester, nylon or polyamide in clothing, we should also avoid plastic in care products. Definitely try to avoid cosmetics with glitter. But what about bioglitter?

How to know if the glitter in your cosmetics is biodegradable? 

Bio glitter is made from potato starch and is therefore biodegradable. However, it can never be used in care products as bio glitter dissolves in water. If you encounter sparkles in personal care products or liquid make-up it is never biodegradable.Even more plastic…

More plastic…

On top of the microbeads there are other types of plastic in make-up, shower products, sun creams and deodorant. Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Nylon are used to ensure that makeup is waterproof or make your skin feels soft.

How to recognize microbeads and plastics in cosmetics?

Ready to avoid plastics from now on? Your first step to analyse beauty products is paying attention to the ingredients above at the back of the packaging. But even more trustworthy are certificates like the zero plastic logo. If the brand has a BDIH or Natrue certification, there is no microplastic present anyway. If a product carries one of these logos, you are 100% sure that it does not contain any plastic.

With these tips and tricks you know from now on which product is healthy for you and nature. From now on, keep an eye on the packaging of your cosmetics and buy plastic free. Read more about Mei Plasticvrij, the plastic awareness month in Belgium, here.