A ban on products containing microbeads came into force in the UK in 2018
Following bans on plastic microbeads in wash-off cosmetics, a new study weighs up the environmental costs of alternatives.
Microbeads have been included in personal care and cosmetic products ranging from toothpastes and sunscreen to body scrubs and industrial hand cleaners, usually to improve qualities like abrasiveness.
Not every apparently ‘natural’ alternative is desirable, so care is needed in selecting new cosmetic formulations. Professor Nick Voulvoulis
Microbeads are small, manufactured plastic pellets, typically measuring less than 0.5 millimetres (500 micrometres) in diameter. In many products they are designed to be washed off, where they pass through wastewater treatments plants and end up in marine ecosystems. Here, they can accumulate and be ingested by and cause harm to marine organisms.