Microplastics - what are they?
Microplastics are small particles that are usually smaller than 5 millimeters and barely visible to the human eye. Water-soluble, liquid, wax and gel plastics are generally not counted among them. The effects they have on the environment have not yet been sufficiently researched.
Microplastics are either produced industrially or are created when larger plastic parts, such as plastic bags, break down into their individual components. Microplastics are found in cosmetics, preferably as beads in peelings and shower gels and as fillers or binders in creams, lipsticks and the like.
Why is microplastic harmful?
The main problems in microplastics are that, on the one hand, in the majority of cases they are made from the scarce raw material petroleum and, on the other hand - which is much worse - they are not biodegradable. Thus, it enters our environment and our oceans unfiltered in incalculable quantities.
Also, sewage treatment plants are not yet capable of completely filtering the tiny particles out of the water, so the microscopic parts end up in our water and above that in our fields and in the air. They are completely contained in a cycle in which they do not belong.
These remain there for centuries, serve as carriers for pesticides and environmental toxins that settle on them, and now function as supposed food for marine organisms such as fish, mussels and worms. Microplastics in water act like a magnet on toxins, attracting and holding them, so that ingestion of the particles by living organisms leads to tumor formation and increased mortality rates. As if this were not dramatic enough, we are also attacking our own health with microplastics, as this "charged toxicant" also ends up on our plates through the cycle (sea, agriculture, etc.).
Frequently, additives are also added to the plastic to achieve further properties. BPA (bisphenol A), to name one of those additives, have not been sufficiently researched for a long time, but already have the reputation of being potentially harmful to health.
Microplastics in cosmetics?
Of the 300 million tons of plastic produced worldwide every year, according to the Federal Environment Agency, a whole garbage truck full of plastic ends up in the oceans every minute. (cf. https://www.umweltbundesamt.de)
According to a 2016 study by the consumer platform Codecheck, up to 2.8 million plastic particles can end up in the oceans from a single tube of exfoliant. According to this study, one of the best-known microplastics, polyethylene, was still present in one in three exfoliators and one in five lipsticks, despite voluntary commitments by some major cosmetics manufacturers to stop using microplastics in their products in the future. Codecheck also shows that microplastics are present in cosmetic products under a variety of names. For example, it can be found as nylon-12 in makeup or acrylates copolymer in shower gels.
BUND has written a shopping guide "Microplastics - the invisible danger" that includes the following microplastics most commonly found in cosmetics:
| Fabrics | Effect |
|---|---|
| Polyethulen (PE) | film-forming, viscosity-changing, supports the cleaning effect and increases the shine |
| Polypropylene (PP) | viscosity-changing |
| Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) | film-forming |
| Nylon-12 | viscosity changing, reduces bulk density and transparency |
| Nylon-6 | viscosity changing, reduces bulk density and transparency |
| Acrylates Copolymer (AC) | reduces surface static electricity, ensures binding of cosmetic agents, film forming |
| Acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer (ACS) | emulsion-forming, film-forming, viscosity-changing |
| Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) | film-forming |
| Polyquaternium (P) | film-forming, reduces the static surface electricity |
| Polyacrylates (PA) | film-forming |
| Polystyrene (PS) | Viscosity modifying, stabilizing. |
After all, the proportion of microplastics in our environment resulting from cosmetics is not at the top of the list. Nevertheless, and this is essential, it is avoidable!
The following sites offer support in the search for products without microplastics:
- Greenpeace offers a microplastics checklist of the most common plastics in cosmetics and personal care products. https://www.greenpeace.de/sites/www.greenpeace.de/files/publications/20170502-greenpeace-kurzinfo-plastik-kosmetik.pdf
- BUND offers a helpful negative list. It names the products that contain microplastics. https://www.bund.net/fileadmin/user_upload_bund/publikationen/meere/meere_mikroplastik_einkaufsfuehrer.pdf
- The smartphone app Codecheck provides information on all ingredients of concern through a barcode scan, based on scientific assessments, tells you if and what kind of microplastics are included, and suggests alternatives. https://www. codecheck.info/so-gehts/start
And for those who want it even easier, the magic word is: natural cosmetics.
Natural cosmetics manufacturers do not add microplastics to their products. So you're on the safe side here.
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