5 microbead-free products we love

We’re all for banning the bead! Check out these 5 microbead-free products we love.  

Now commonplace within our beauty regime, microbeads have almost entirely replaced natural beauty exfoliators such as salt and jojoba beads across the beauty industry. While their small size may initially make them seem harmless, research has shown that the continuous use of these products may cause irreplaceable damage to the environment. According to Greenpeace, up to 100,000 micro beads can be washed down the sink in a single application of some products. MP Mary Creagh, chair of the commons environmental audit committee says: ‘A voluntary approach to phasing out plastic microbeads simply won’t wash. We need a full legal ban.’

Although the small size of microbeads may be great for cleaning our pores, their tiny size makes them almost impossible to filter once they enter our ecosystem – putting marine life at risk. Fish are eating the microbeads, so there is an increased risk of humans unknowingly consuming them too. Campaigners have begun driving for change globally, not only signing and promoting a Greenpeace petition, but also switching to microbead-free alternative products to force the industry to respond to consumer demand. With a ban on microbeads likely to be in place by 2017, we’ve rounded up our favourite alternatives…