We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Intentionally added plastics in personal care products - A key source of microplastics to the environment: Fate, effects, and mitigation strategies
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
This document is part of a series on key sources of micro- and nanoplastics to the environment.Paint: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20544299Pellets: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20544611Textiles: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20544594Tyres: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20544502Cosmetics: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20544650
More Papers Like This
Intentionally added plastics in personal care products - A key source of microplastics to the environment: Fate, effects, and mitigation strategies
AI summary Read the abstract
Many personal care products—like exfoliating scrubs, toothpaste, and lotions—contain tiny plastic particles added on purpose, and this review looks at how these "microplastics" end up polluting our waterways and environment. Once released, these particles are extremely hard to filter out or clean up, meaning they can persist for a long time and potentially work their way into the food chain and our bodies through water and seafood. The takeaway: checking product labels for plastic ingredients (like polyethylene or polypropylene) and supporting policies that phase out these additives are practical ways to reduce your own contribution to this ongoing environmental and health
Incidence of microplastics in personal care products: An appreciable part of plastic pollution
AI summary Read the abstract
A review of 88 studies found that personal care products like exfoliating scrubs release about 1,500 tons of microplastics per year into global waterways through wastewater systems, representing up to 0.8% of all microplastics entering the oceans annually. Polyethylene is the dominant polymer and will persist in the environment long after microbeads are banned.
Microplastics in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines the presence of microplastics, commonly known as microbeads, in cosmetics and personal care products and their pathway into aquatic environments through wastewater discharge. Researchers assessed how these tiny particles interact with marine species and other pollutants once they enter water bodies. The study underscores that despite the existence of wastewater treatment plants, microbeads from personal care products remain a persistent source of aquatic plastic pollution.
Microplastics: Applications in the Cosmetic Industry and Impacts on the Aquatic Environment
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how microplastics are used in cosmetics as microbeads in products like exfoliating cleansers, and how these particles enter waterways through drain disposal and harm aquatic life. The authors summarize the main problems caused by cosmetic microplastics and discuss regulatory efforts to phase them out.
Microplastics (MPs) in Cosmetics: A Review on Their Presence in Personal-Care, Cosmetic, and Cleaning Products (PCCPs) and Sustainable Alternatives from Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers
AI summary Read the abstract
This review documents how microplastics are widely used in personal care products, cosmetics, and cleaning supplies as exfoliants, film formers, and texture enhancers. These products wash down the drain and contribute to environmental microplastic pollution, which can ultimately cycle back to humans through contaminated water and food.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.