Microbead breakdown

Brittany Moon

The Microbead Free Waters Act of 2015 has since banned the sale or distribution of rinse-off cosmetics containing plastic microbeads. 

This will affect many major beauty product brands, such as Neutrogena, Aveeno, and Clean & Clear. 

This decision will help keep bodies of water clean and although the beads are small, they do have a very large impact on wildlife. They can be mistaken for fish eggs and ingested. 

There are natural options that will be used much more frequently in the coming years, such as salt, sugar, and ground almonds.