Microbeads: Should you be avoiding them in your skincare routine?
updated the 13 October 2015 à 14:03
Those ‘blue bobbles’ known as microbeads could be doing your skin and the environment some serious damage.
It is highly likely that you would have seen articles about microbeads flooding your social media accounts recently. This has been a talking point for many years now. California has also just approved a measure that will phase out exfoliating microbeads by 2020. So if you’re still debating on them, here are our suggestions.
WHAT ARE MICROBEADS
Microbeads are plastic microspheres and are often used in beauty products such as exfoliating face/ body scrubs and toothpaste. They are commonly known and referred to as the ‘blue bobbles’ in these products.
ARE THEY HARMFUL?
Yes, these plastic balls are often used for the purpose of exfoliation. When a product with microbeads is used excessively, it can be abrasive and remove more than just your dead skin. Not only are these beads bad for your skin, they are even worse for our environment. They cannot be degraded and often end up in lakes and oceans polluting our waterways. If this is not worrying enough, think about the plant and animal ecosystem being affected by this rising problem. When fishes consume these beads, they cannot be digested. That very fish could be appearing on our plates unknowingly. Yikes.
WHAT IS BEING DONE?
States such as California have just passed laws to phase out exfoliating microbeads by 2020. This means that products such as toothpaste,scrubs and soaps with microbeads will be prohibited for sale. On a personal front, we can take up the responsibility to check the ingredients list prior to purchasing a product. This way, we will be doing our part to be eco-friendly.
To help you get started on a better routine, head over to our gallery up top for a round up of exfoliating scrubs without the harmful microbeads.
Perin Sidhu
