We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
The Hidden Cost of Cleanliness and Beauty: How the Microbiome Impacts Our Health and the Planet and Solutions through Green Chemistry and the Circular Economy
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how personal care products and household cleansers affect the human microbiome, discussing evidence that antimicrobial ingredients disrupt skin and gut microbial communities in ways that may have long-term health consequences.
Purpose: This review is not intended to critically address the existing literature on the dual impacts of conventional cosmetics and cleaning products on human microbiome and planetary health, such as ecotoxicity, biodegradability issues and pollution. It will also assess the potential, impacts, successes and limitations of green chemistry principles and circular economy models as integrated solutions to mitigate these negative impacts.Material and Methods: This research review adopted a narrative methodology. The study searched academic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, Google Patents and Turkpatent patent databases. The literature review was primarily limited to publications between 2009 and 2024. Research articles, review articles and patent documents were analyzed. Keywords related to cosmetics, cleaning products, microbiome, environmental impact, green chemistry, circular economy, biosurfactants, and sustainable packaging were identified. The sources selected included peer-reviewed and theme-appropriate English and Turkish literature.Results: The negative impact is associated with environmental issues such as aquatic toxicity, persistence and plastic waste, and microbiome dysbiosis of traditional product ingredients such as surfactants, preservatives, UV filters and microplastics. Green chemistry approaches emphasize alternatives such as biosurfactants, safer preservatives and renewable raw materials. In addition, circular economy strategies contribute to waste utilization, sustainable packaging and reuse models. However, these solutions face limitations such as cost, performance, scalability and lack of standard validation. The concept of "microbiome-friendly" products is evolving, but the lack of standardized testing protocols has led to microbiome laundering.Conclusion: Conventional cosmetics and cleaning products have severe and unsustainable impacts on the human microbiome and environmental systems. Therefore, an integrated approach that integrates green chemistry and circular economy principles is critical for systemic transformation towards sustainability. Closing knowledge gaps, establishing standardized testing protocols, overcoming technical barriers to scalability, and implementing supportive regulatory structures are needed to develop safe and sustainable alternatives.
More Papers Like This
Cosmetic Products and Their Implications for Human Health
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how cosmetic ingredients including parabens, phthalates, triclosan, microplastics, and heavy metals enter the body through skin, inhalation, and ingestion, with potential for hormonal disruption and reproductive toxicity, while also contaminating aquatic ecosystems when cosmetic residues escape wastewater treatment.
Cosmetic Products and Their Implications for Human Health
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how cosmetic ingredients including parabens, phthalates, triclosan, microplastics, and heavy metals enter the body through skin, inhalation, and ingestion, with potential for hormonal disruption and reproductive toxicity, while also contaminating aquatic ecosystems when cosmetic residues escape wastewater treatment.
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.
Microplastics and microbiota: deciphering the concealed environmental threats to health
AI summary Read the abstract
This review paper summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles found throughout the environment and their relationship with gut bacteria in humans and animals. It describes how these particles may disrupt the balance of gut microbes, a change linked to various diseases, and calls for more detailed studies using advanced lab techniques to understand the health effects.
Microplastics—The Microbiota Interactions: Mechanisms, Multi-Omics Insights and Health Implications
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how microplastics interact with microbial communities across terrestrial, aquatic, and gut environments, synthesizing evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and environmental studies showing that MP exposure drives dysbiosis, impairs immune function, and accelerates the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.
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.