Tiny and toxic microbeads look set to be all-but banished as New Zealand follows international leads in moving towards a ban July next year.
In the world of beauty there are few worse polluters than plastic microbeads. Aside from irritating the surface of the skin, plastic microbeads are non-biodegradable and so small that they bypass wastewater filters, washing down bathroom sinks and straight out into the ocean.
Once in the ocean, they inevitably find their way into our fish population - one study found that around 35% of fish examined had microplastics in their stomachs.
Skincare brands in New Zealand have already expressed their joy at the decision:
“At Weleda we are all for keeping the environment clean and green and we definitely support this ban on microbeads in personal care products. Our 100% certified natural Birch Body Scrub contains natural beeswax and plant wax pearls to gently exfoliate and smoothen the skin. We do not use artificial ingredients, preservatives, fragrances, GMOs nor do we test on animals” says Helen Wilkes, Marketing Manager of Weleda NZ.
“As a New Zealand skincare company, we are thrilled to hear the news that the government is banning mircobeads in all personal care products. All our exfoliators in the Manuka Doctor range of products do not include mircobeads and use naturally derived exfoliating ingredients such as bamboo stem extract and dragon fruit extract” says Nicola Macfarlane, Manuka Doctor spokesperson.
' has never and will never use plastic microbeads in its products. Our Trilogy is formulated with natural, biodegradable, non-abrasive jojoba wax microspheres, which gently polish the complexion, refining texture and improving clarity without irritating or compromising the skin’s natural barrier function. But more importantly, they do not contribute to microplastic pollution in our oceans. Our mantra is ‘maximum effect on your skin, minimum effect on our environment' and our products are made from sustainably sourced pure plant oils and active botanical ingredients. Our mantra is ‘maximum effect on your skin, minimum effect on our environment' and our products are made from sustainably sourced pure plant oils and active botanical ingredients,' - Trilogy New Zealand.
‘We are proud to provide New Zealand consumers with some great choices of microbead free exfoliators with brands like Medik8, Resultime and Katherine Daniels. Keeping our waterways in New Zealand clean and free of damaging mircobeads in number one for us” says Kim Larsen from House of Camille.
