Hopefully you won't have too many beauty products on your bathroom shelf that contain microbeads, but the small manmade exfoliants are still widely manufactured, leading the government to today crack down on their use. A ban is to be set in place by early next year, following several years of calls from anti-pollution environmentalists to end everything from face wash and scrubs to toothpaste being made with the damaging substances.
Back in September 2016, the UK government announced its first steps towards tackling the problem, following similar bans in the USA and Canada. Now, in his first speech as Environment Secretary, Michael Gove has confirmed the ban, reports the Independent. The clampdown is only relevant to wash-off products, as there has been a direct correlation between the products that we rinse off and what is found in the world's oceans.
We've been aware of the negative environmental impact of these tiny manmade exfoliants since 2012, with 300 billion pieces ending up in the Arctic Ocean alone and being consumed by sea-life, then making their way back to us via the food chain. Two days ago, a major global study published in the journal Science Advances found that 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since 1950 – human impact on the planet cannot be denied, and facing up to our global footprint and reducing our use of plastic is one of the only ways towards a safer future. This kind of governmental crackdown is a proven success, with Gove stating that 9 billion fewer carrier bags have been distributed since the introduction of the 5p charge back in October 2015.
We're inherently lazy when it comes to changing our habits, particularly when large industries don't make it easy to do so. But when there are so many alternatives – sugar, oats and salt are popular ingredients for eco-conscious beauty brands – this is undoubtedly fantastic news and a big step forwards for the industry. Hopefully, this consideration for our planet's future will encourage people to use environmentally friendly makeup and skincare brands, cut down on product use, and recycle empty containers. No beauty is worth the cost of the earth.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Baby Foot Is Weird, Gross & The Best Thing Ever
The At-Home Facial To Prep Skin For Every Christmas Occasion