Saying No to Microplastics

When it comes to microplastics added to cosmetics, we typically think of glitter or exfoliating beads. However, did you know that there are also "invisible" microplastic ingredients, such as liquid microplastic? It is very difficult to find makeup without these microplastics, even in clean beauty. We find them in lipstick, lipgloss, eyeshadow, etc, even in lotions. Creating beautiful cosmetics without using microplastics is a big part of how we are Reimagining Clean Beauty™, and the beauty industry in general.

According to Beat the Microbead, 9 out of 10 cosmetics contain microplastic ingredients, and this number is likely higher when looking at colour cosmetics specifically (which is what we typically think of as being "cosmetics", even though lotions and soaps are also cosmetics).

Beat the Microbead found that there are over 500 microplastic ingredients found in cosmetics. You will often find plastics such as Acrylates Copolymer, Nylon-12, Carbomer, Polybutene, Polyisobutene, PVP, Hydrogenated  Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Polyethylene, Polyisobutene, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, and many more.

To make matters worse, some companies claim to not have use microplastics, yet still do, as when talking about microplastics, companies and organizations typically refer to "larger" particles such as microbeads and glitter, and ignore the even smaller plastics, or liquid plastics.

We want to be clear that when we are talking about microplastics, we mean the ingredients considered to be microplastics that are intentionally added to cosmetics. For a list of these microplastic ingredients, we rely on Beat The Microbead and their research and sources. Unfortunately, since microplastics are found almost everywhere, even in the human body, it is practically impossible to guarantee no trace amounts. However, there is a big difference between a potential trace amount in a natural ingredient compared to intentionally adding plastic like Nylon-12. Just like with smog, even though traces of pollution can be found even in nature, we can all agree that smog should still be avoided.

Here is a link to the full list of microplastic ingredients as found by Beat the Microbead, using primarily the European Chemicals Agency and UN Environment Programme as sources. Click on the pdf to look through the document. At the time of writing, there are over 19 pages, not just one like it sometimes appears at first. 

Beat the Microbead's testing showed that using an eye-cream can mean putting 90,000 plastic particles on your face! Wearing lipsticks means eating plastic.

These tiny particles of plastic contaminate our planet and water sources. Even when a municipality has high performing wastewater treatments to filter them out, the filtered-out "sludge" is spread onto agricultural fields and then seeps into the soil and runs off into surface water. It is estimated that between 110,000 and 730,000 tons of microplastics from the wastewater treatment sludge is released worldwide, not to mention all the other plastic that goes directly into the environment. (Click here to read more). 

It doesn't have to be this way. Wonderful products can be made without microplastic ingredients, but most companies choose not to in order to save costs and ease of manufacturing. At Zakiella, we believe that our customers and the planet deserve better. We take the time to develop amazing formulas without using any microplastic ingredients, and do not compromise on this simply to save money.

Let's reimagine clean beauty together™.