Pros of microbeads: Soft and exfoliated skin.

Cons of microbeads: Contaminated fish and unhealthy people.

Microbeads are found in many products. From face/body washes to lotions, microbeads are used to exfoliate the skin and give you a radiant look. For a while, people have bought products containing microbeads for that exact reason. Who doesn’t want nice skin? But no one has really thought about what happens once they go down the drain. As you can tell many of the beads burst when you’re washing, but where do the leftover ones go?

They go down the drain and into our precious oceans. Drains are filled with all different types of chemicals that are absorbed by the beads. Now in the ocean, these harmful beads are filled with toxins that will eventfully hurt marine life as well as our own health. Fish mistake the beads for food and consume them. These are the fish that are caught and sold in stores and restaurants for human consumption. The risk that comes along with microbeads is too great.

Thankfully, the dangers of this ingredient have come to the attention of Congress. On December 18th, 2015 the Senate passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 with a unanimous vote. According to the bill's summary on congress.gov, “This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ban cosmetics that contain synthetic plastic microbeads beginning on January 1, 2018.” Once the law is in place, cosmetics as well as body washes will no longer be allowed to have microbeads as an ingredient. As of December 22, 2015 it has been presented to the President.

This is great news! Microbeads seem to be doing much more harm than good. We need to take care of our oceans and marine life as well as our own health. If getting rid of microbeads helps, I don’t see how anyone could object. It's up to us to stop them from reaching the ocean. My best advice for now would be to throw away any products you have that contain this exfoliator. Instead, use products that either contain non-plastic beads or other ingredients that are healthier and all natural. Below you will find a few products that could be great substitutes! Yay environment!

Peach & Willow Bark Deep PoreScrub

By Burt’s Bees ($8.00)

This product uses Willow Bark as an exfoliate to remove dirt and excess oil from the skin, as well as finely ground Peach Stone to polish the skin for a beautiful complexion. Both are natural and do no harm to the body or environment.

Aqua Marina: Face and Body Cleanser

By Lush ($12.95)

This vegan product features Calamine Powder and all natural ingredients that can calm sensitive skin. It contains mineral-rich nori seaweed to nourish skin, aloe vera gel to cool your body, and sea salt that gives a very gentle exfoliation.

Purity Made Simple: Deep-Clean Mask

By Philosophy ($25)

This product gives dull skin a luminous glow. It contains mineral-rich, deep-cleansing sea salts that detoxify and purify the skin. It is infused with marine extracts and vitamin E.