Plastics in the environment is a huge issue, there’s no doubt about it. When we look to buy ‘plastic free’ beauty, we are usually thinking of single-use plastic packaging, plastic microbeads in glitters, body scrubs and exfoliating products. But no one seems to think about hidden Plastic inside our ingredients– synthetic polymers in liquid or semi-liquid form that are equally undesirable.

We normally associate substances like Teflon, Nylon, Polypropylene and Polystyrene with non-stick frying pans and packaging. But did you know, you can also find them in cosmetics and personal care products?

With over 1.5 million microplastics found in popular anti-aging products, the beauty industry plays a big part in plastic pollution and marine debris. We are here to change this norm by working alongside Plastic Soup Foundation – organisation that takes action to save our oceans from plastic pollution and, stop it from turning into a big pot of plastic soup.

We believe when it comes to clean beauty, we need to think about the product in its entirety. This means that the environmental impact of a products ingredients as well as its packaging must be considered. It’s not enough to stick a ‘clean’ logo onto a product but not consider the thousands of microplastics inside that are just as damaging to the environment. Its what’s inside that counts too!

Therefore, we are delighted to announce that all products at Beauty Cleanse Skincare are free-from plastics and certified with ‘zero-plastic inside’ by Plastic Soup Foundation. It shows our commitment to manufacturing natural and organic cosmetics with ‘Zero Plastic Inside’.

Plastic in Cosmetics is a Global Problem and Education is Key!

We believe in educating our community and start a new plastic-free revolution in beauty industry.

While Plastic Free July is a great time to push the awareness of single-use plastics, we cannot ignore the damaging impacts of microplastics in our oceans, water and on our health. Synthetic polymers are still used in the majority of mainstream cosmetics because most people are simply unaware they’re there and haven’t called for change. If we all avoided synthetic ingredients and chose only natural cosmetics, our shopping habits would spur manufacturers to change their formulations.

There is also a huge link between plastic and human health. Do you know, the soil on which crops grow is 4 to 23 times more polluted with microplastics than the ocean. On the other hand, marine animals mistake these microplastics for food. These particles end up on our plates because we are part of the food chain…it’s a vicious cycle.

So, what are microplastics?

Microplastics are plastic debris less than five millimeters (mm) in length. They appear in a variety of different forms, from microbeads as exfoliants in cosmetics, synthetic fibers eroding off nylon textiles, to pre-production plastic pellets known as nurdles. Microplastics are easily ingested and then accumulate up the food chain, raising concerns about the long-term human health impacts. Microplastics can be found in many different forms in the personal care products we use daily, including in powder or liquid form called polymers.

Microplastics are hardly visible ingredients that pollute our planet and may pose health risks. It’s not always easy to work out whether your products contain microplastics. Some products that appear to be ‘clean’ do not contain sustainable ingredients.

Good news is that there is a quick way to find out if your products are harmful and contain microplastics.

How to avoid and identify microplastics in your products?

 So how can we avoid microplastics in our cosmetics? Here are three easy suggestions:

Look out for natural or organic ingredients in your cosmetics

The simplest and most effective thing you can do is opt for completely natural products.

In the often long ingredients declaration printed on pack, in the tiniest of fonts, it can be difficult to spot microplastics. Far simpler is to swap to only using authentically natural and organic products.

Look for the ‘Zero Plastic Inside’ logo on brands’ websites

Brands and companies that do not use microplastic ingredients in their products can carry the Zero Plastic Inside logo. At a glance, this logo makes it clear for consumers that a product is guaranteed 100% free of microplastic ingredients.

They have lots of helpful resources and guides on plastic soup foundation website, so do check it out for detailed info on each ingredient. Click here to visit their website.

All products at Beauty Cleanse Skincare are free-from plastics and certified with ‘zero-plastic inside by Plastic Soup Foundation

Download the Beat The Microbead app to check ingredients when buying in store, or online

The Plastic Soup Foundation has recently introduced a free app for consumers to use when shopping: “The free Beat the Microbead app reads the ingredient lists on the packaging and recognises more than 500 different types of microplastics. The user can immediately see whether the scanned product contains microplastics and, if so, which ones. The app works like a traffic light: red for more than 500 officially recognised microplastics; orange for the so-called sceptical plastics, of which it is not yet proven whether they are dangerous to humans and the environment; and ‘green’ for all products that do not contain ‘red’ or ‘orange’ plastics.”

If you want to do your bit, make sure your money only goes to brands that are transparent about the issues, honest about how they’re addressing them, and genuine in their efforts to change the world for the better.