Plastic BEAUTY

Did you know that your bathroom cabinet may be contributing to the global microplastic pollution problem?

- WORDS BY GEZZY S. SIBISI

The grooming and beauty business is filled with a range of products that promise to give you the perfect skin, hair and teeth.

Platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok have become a cosmetics hub for anyone to learn and explore more about these products in reviews, beauty tutorials and grooming tips and hacks. However, what most people choose to ignore is that with beauty comes the beast...

Some of the most common sources of ordinary plastic waste are in our daily grooming routines - think sheet masks, cotton swabs, bottles and packaging that end up filling our country’s overflowing landfill waste.

However, less visible are the tiny plastic particles, known as microbeads, found in many common grooming and beauty products. When used and rinsed off, these microplastics get into the water system and cause irreversible damage to our planet's ecosystem.

MICROPLASTICS IN YOUR HOME

The term 'microplastic' was coined in 2004 by researchers to describe tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) that are less than 5mm in size. In the personal-care industry, these particles are called microbeads and used most obviously in exfoliating products such as facial scrubs and body washes.

But they are also found in other rinse-off products such as shower gel, shaving cream, hair colouring, conditioner and toothpaste. Some leave-on products, including serums, deodorants, sunscreen and insect repellent, also contain microplastics.