So, me being me, I went on a great search across the internet to learn what the heck was so wrong with these cleansers with their magic little beads.
Microbeads came onto the market around 10 years ago, promising to exfoliate and cleanse your skin thanks to these wonderful little beads which are made from polyethylene. No big deal, right? Well. Not exactly. The problem is, these little plastic beads are made from a type of plastic that does not break down, meaning they wash down your sink, through the water system, and into waterways and the sea. Which is a problem.
The polyethylene beads also absorb dangerous chemicals and such once they are in the waterways, which helps spread these chemicals about.
If you're anything like me, right now you're probably rolling your eyes thinking 'Right. But there isn't that many beads in ONE container of face wash', well. Turns out there is. Most cleansers consist of about 1-5% beads, which is a lot when you think about it. Above is the Nivea gentle cleansing wash cream, with a hair pin for size comparison. As you can see, this is barely nothing, and you can clearly see multiple beads - there's also little white beads in there, harder to see with your bare eyes!
Some cleansers contain upwards of 300,000 beads, which is a whole heap, and when these make their way into the ocean, they can easily be mistaken by poor little fishies as something good to eat.
The other danger with these beads is the danger to our own bodies, these small beads can easily get into your eyes and cause discomfort and damage, as well as being in the stomachs of fish we catch and eat (remember that these beads have the ability to soak up dangerous chemicals) - posing a real threat for something so small.
In short, it's not that hard to help the cause, by reducing demand we can encourage companies to quickly cease the use of these beads, something that many of them have already pledged to do within the next few years.
In the mean time, it's easy to switch your cleanser for something gentler on the environment. My favourite supermarket/drugstore bought cleanser is the Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash ($12.70AUD), which works well for my combination oily/normal skin.
Another way to help if you're still after that deep scrub, is to use a natural scrub, rather than the plastic. Some of my favorites are -
- Frank Scrub, I bought this after hearing every man and his dog raving about it on instagram (and being told to use it specifically by Tarlie from tarliescorner who reccomended it for a bout of dry skin i was experiencing). It won't disappoint you. It leaves you with soft, smooth, supple skin and it worth the $15AUD with free shipping.
- Babe Scrub, works on a very similar principle to the Frank Scrub, but they also sell salt scrubs, and green tea based scrubs. This retails for $21.95AUD.
- Lush Porridge Soap, whilst this isn't specifically a cleanser I love using it to clean my face, as the oats in it give a really thorough clean, while the actual soap formula is still soft and not harsh. This retails for a mere $6.50/100gAUD and is worth a try!
But don't feel bad if you're currently using a microbead cleanser, finish it off, because after all time and resources were put into creating it. Maybe next time opt for something more natural, or a cleanser without the beads.
Let me know down below how this all makes you feel, and let me know what your favorite non-microbead cleanser is so I can give it a go!
Below I have linked some sources of where I got all this info, for your information!
Love as always! x
Find me while I'm not blogging on -
- http://5gyres.org/how_to_get_involved/campaigns/
- http://time.com/74956/states-are-cracking-down-on-face-wash/
- http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/2014/top-microbead-free-exfoliator-alternatives#slide=1
Disclaimer - I did not purchase the Nivea microbead cleanser purely for this post - I've had it for a while and used it prior to even knowing about the danger of microbeads. All products mentioned were however bought with my own money.
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