Your Skincare Is Polluting the Planet
Every time you wash your face, apply moisturizer, or swipe on lipstick, you're potentially sending thousands of plastic particles down the drain. These aren’t visible chunks, they’re microplastics: tiny synthetic polymers used to smooth, thicken, exfoliate, or preserve personal-care products.
The Microbeads Ban … and the Loophole
In 2018, the UK introduced a ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics, like facial scrubs. But that’s only a small fraction of the problem:
Up to 90% of leave-on products; lipsticks, sunscreens, serums, hair sprays, even deodorants still contain microplastics
Even in rinse-off products, the ban targets only “microbeads.” Brands fudge the rules by using microplastic powders, gels, and waxes that aren't categorized as beads.
These microplastics aren’t caught in wastewater treatment. They either flow into rivers and oceans, or end up in sewage sludge, which often becomes fertilizer. In effect, they’re cycling back onto our land, crops, washed into our rivers and waterways and potentially our mouths.
In the video below listen and watch Cleaner Seas Project Director Amanda Winwood (Barlow) of Made for Life Organics talking about microbeads at the Cleaner Seas Project Wave Conference in 2016…
Why You Should Care
The average UK resident uses 9 - 12 personal care items daily… multiply that across millions, and it's trillions of microplastics entering our environment every day.
Microplastics are now routinely detected in water, soil, animals, and even in our own bodies (blood, lungs, heart, brain, reproductive organs and placenta).
The chemicals they carry, PFAS, phthalates, heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues amplify their impact, acting like toxic Trojan horses.
Why hasn’t the ban been widened?
Regulatory blind spot: The 2018 ban was narrowly drawn, only covering solid exfoliating beads, not other microplastic forms.
Industry loopholes: Microplastics disguised as polymers, powders, or gels slip through labelling and regulation.
Lack of consumer and media pressure: People assume the ban already covers all plastics, so there's little outcry against the rest.
But There Is Hope: Clean Beauty Movement
Consumers aren’t waiting. Brands are stepping up with microplastic-free, planet-friendly products.
Made for Life Organics (UK): Leading with all-natural, certified organic skincare, no synthetic polymers or microplastics in the products and packaging and B-Corp certified.
RMS Beauty (available via SpaceNK): A luxury, plastic-free makeup line, packaged in metal or glass, with no microplastics in formulas
Other notable brands include Kjaer Weis, Zao, Lush, and i+m Berlin, all committed to zero- or low-plastic formulations and packaging.
A Call to Action
It starts on our skin. It starts with us. It starts with you. It starts now.
We need a second wave of regulation that:
Bans all intentionally added microplastics, not just microbeads, in both rinse-off and leave-on products.
Requires transparent labelling so consumers can avoid microplastics easily.
Supports microplastic-free innovation, giving brands a clear, competitive playing field.
Notes on Classification:
Some of these are solid microplastics (e.g. PE beads, PMMA spheres)
Others are liquid or waxy synthetic polymers, but still persist in the environment
Many are not biodegradable and can fragment into nanoplastics
Most are not regulated under the UK’s 2018 microbeads ban
Common Products Containing These Plastics
Lipsticks & Lip Gloss
Foundations & Primers
Sunscreens
Hairsprays & Styling Gels
Facial Scrubs & Cleansers
Shampoos & Conditioners
Nail Polish
Toothpaste
Anti-aging serums & eye creams
“Your foundation, your lipstick, your face cream, many of them are made with plastic. Not just packaged in it. These ingredients aren’t biodegradable, aren’t regulated, and aren’t filtered out by treatment plants. They end up in our rivers, soil, and food, and now, in our bodies.”
Final Word
Your makeup bag is quietly leaking plastic into the planet every day. But we can stop it. The clean beauty movement proves we don't have to sacrifice quality or style, and given the environmental stakes, we shouldn’t wait.