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The Raman spectroscopy and SEM/EDS investigation of the primary sources of microplastics from cosmetics available in Poland
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Raman spectroscopy and SEM/EDS analysis of cosmetics sold in Poland from 2015 to 2021 identified polyethylene and polypropylene microbeads as dominant primary microplastic types in scrubs and exfoliants. The study tracked the partial reduction in microplastic-containing products following regulatory restrictions on synthetic microbeads in personal care products.
The increasing amount of marine microplastics and nanoplastics is due to primary (P-MPs) and secondary sources (S-MPs). Among small P-MPs and fibres from textiles, nurdles or industrial dust, the microbeads from cosmetics (peelings, scrubs) are dominant. The polyethylene and polypropylene debris, already <5 mm, enlarge Plastisphere and have a complex influence on environmental processes. Fortunately, the situation has changed with the limitation of synthetic materials in scrubs in recent years. This paper summarizes the six years of studies (2015-2021) on microplastics in cosmetics available on the Polish market. It focuses on those still available and presents the potential of Raman spectroscopy for the efficient qualitative and quantitative characterization of those materials. Finally, surface morphology's vital role in microplastics' general behaviour is underlined. The SEM/EDX and numerical modelling enables a more detailed description of particles.
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