Microbeads declaration

helcat26 · 10 October 2017 at 6:12PM

Do you think products should declare if they have microbeads in them?
I would not knowingly buy products containing microbeads following the reports of the pollution they cause.

However I bought "Your Good Skin" brightening facial wash this week on line from Boots. No mention of microbeads in the product description. And yes I know it says it is exfoliating but there are many ways of doing that from fruit acids onwards.
Now I have a product I do not want to use because when I rinse it down the drain it is a pollutant.

Government is banning sale of these products at the end of the year but they are still very widespread, and I think the vendor or manufacturer should have to declare in the meantime.
what do you think?

Toothsmith · 10 October 2017 at 6:46PM

Micro beads is small beer in the overall plastic problem. All plastic gets broken down to small particles that then goes on to do damage in the environment.

Yes - alternatives should be used, but everywhere, not just in cosmetics. But the plastic tube the products come in are ultimately just as damaging as the particles within.

marrowgirl · 10 October 2017 at 8:01PM

I'll try to avoid products with microbeads when I can. Yes, packaging often contains plastic too but I can see that easily so I can reduce that as much as possible. I try to buy "solid" products/packaging free and alternatives to plastic otherwise (like glass pots that I reuse) For me any small reduction helps. Does anyone know what I should be looking for....do microbeads have a different name in ingredients list for example?

jenniewb · 11 October 2017 at 1:27AM

Toothsmith wrote: »

Micro beads is small beer in the overall plastic problem. All plastic gets broken down to small particles that then goes on to do damage in the environment.

Yes - alternatives should be used, but everywhere, not just in cosmetics. But the plastic tube the products come in are ultimately just as damaging as the particles within.

I agree with this- I wasn't listening to it but a documentary on pollutant plastics in the sea was on the TV while I was in the gym (I was doing Yoga so had no earphones in) it was clear how much plastic objects litter our oceans and it was actually quite harrowing to watch. I think it was a whale's stomach they cut open (the whale had died) and it looked full of plastic bags just sitting there, several of them just filling up space....I don't know how the plastic bags got into the sea or any of the other objects...there is a picture also doing the rounds atm of a beautiful tiny sea horse, swimming alone, holding a cotton bud the way you'd imagine it carrying it's food or something to build a nest with. I can't imagine anyone not feeling sick by seeing this.

Yes I think they need to do more to warn and limit the waste of plastics which are water bound, but so many more appear to be just dumped or find their way into the sea. I think even more needs to be done to deal with that, it makes things like microbeads seem like smallfly.

Microbeads declaration

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