31 March 2022: As per a study by an NGO called Toxics Link, many personal-care cosmetic products (PCCPs) in India have micro-plastics and micro-beads which are harmful for the environment. Micro-beads are primarily micro-plastics that are found in cosmetics as the rinse-off and leave-on ingredient for exfoliation, cleansing, maintaining viscosity, and more.
In this study, 19 face washes, seven facial scrubs, and nine body washes, a total of 35 products were tested. 20 of these products were found to have polymers 14 of which had micro-plastic beads. Of all the products, Neutrogena Deep Clean Scrub had the highest concentration of micro-plastics beads followed by VLCC Natural Sciences Rose Face Scrub and Fiama Shower Gel.
Micro-plastic pollution is extremely harmful to the environment. It is accountable for a large proportion of man-made solid waste in water and affects the aquatic habitat.
P.C. BBC
