Over the last decade we?ve become increasingly interested and savvy about everything from cruelty free makeup, to organic skincare and adopting a vegan lifestyle - but one of the issues that?s been somewhat under the radar, despite its huge significance, has been microbeads in cosmetics. Research has shown that beauty products made with these tiny microbeads (used to scrub off dead skin cells, release an active ingredient or simply used for aesthetic reasons) have been damaging water supplies, marine life and the ecological balance of the planet. You may have spotted them in your shower gel, toothpaste, cleanser or body scrub and wash them away without a second thought - but the truth is they're incredibly damaging and have been high on the agenda of environmental campaigners for many years.
When we wash away these tiny beads and they enter the water supply, it's impossible to filter them out using current sewage systems; it?s believed that marine life is unable to distinguish between food and microbeads, so they?re gobbling them up and suffering the consequences. These non-biodegradable microbeads are also acting as a magnet for other dangerous pollutants that threaten the health of fish, birds and other wildlife; they can act like tiny sponges, absorbing several other dangerous chemicals (including pesticides and flame retardants,) becoming pure poison in the process. Not only is this having a huge negative impact on our seas and the fish that live in these environments...