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Study on Microplastic Content in Cosmetic Products and Their Detrimental Effect on Human Health

2024 4 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Venkatramana Losetty, Nageswara Reddy Gosu, C. Hazarathaiah Yadav, Krishnamoorthy Sivakumar

Summary

This study examined the widespread use of microplastics in cosmetic products such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, sunscreen, and makeup. Researchers found that common plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene are routinely added to cosmetics as stabilizers and texture enhancers, raising concerns about their potential effects on human health through regular skin and body exposure.

The term ‘cosmetics’ was born from a Greek word ‘Kosmeticos’ which means to beautify. A large quantity of cosmetics is used worldwide to beautify one's own body and look beautiful. A variety of chemical compositions, including microplastics, are mixed in the desired concentration as preservatives, stabilizers, surfactants, and shines when formulating cosmetics owing to their enhanced their properties, quality, and effects. Most chemicals are bioactive and cause severe health issues in humans. Synthetic microplastics with different particle sizes of less than 5 nm have received significant attention because of their prospective effects on the social economy, ecological environment, and human health. Moreover, microplastics are used for manufacturing soap, shampoo, toothpaste, moisturizers, sunscreen lotions, facial masks, eye shadows, lipsticks, and children bubble baths. This chapter reveals the cosmetic product market in India, where the sources of plastics and microplastics are polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, poly (methyl acrylate), and microbeads are using when formulating the cosmetics. Moreover, cosmetics used with plastics, microplastics as preservatives, and alternative natural products have a significant effect on human health.

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