Many countries have banned microbeads in rinse-off cosmetic products, the European Commission and California could restrict intentionally added microplastics in fragrances and leave on cosmetic products in the future.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) defines microplastics as solid plastic particles composed of mixtures of polymers and functional additives. In cosmetics products, microplastics are added intentionally for several purposes, including in the form of microbeads for the delivery of active ingredients, film formation, exfoliation and viscosity regulation.
The US Federal authority was one of first jurisdictions to regulate microbeads in cosmetics in 2015. Since then, individual states have introduced further restrictions, such as California’s a total ban on the sale and promotion of personal care products containing microbeads since January 1, 2020.
In Europe, many countries, such as France, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and Portugal, have officially banned microbeads in rinse-off cosmetic products and, since 2018, the United Kingdom has prohibited microbeads in rinse-off personal care products.
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