Intentionally added plastics in personal care products - A key source of microplastics to the environment: Fate, effects, and mitigation strategies

Summary

Many personal care products—like exfoliating scrubs, toothpaste, and makeup—contain tiny plastic particles added on purpose, and this review pulls together what scientists know about where that plastic ends up after you wash it down the drain. These microplastics often slip through water treatment systems and build up in rivers, oceans, and soil, where they can eventually make their way into the food and water we consume. The good news: the paper also looks at solutions, like reformulating products without plastic additives, that could cut this pollution off at the source.