By now we hope you’ve seen videos, or read articles on social media regarding plastic microbeads polluting our lakes and oceans. If you have, then we sure hope you’ve restocked your toiletries with products that do not contain these harmful plastics. If you’re one of the many who is still unaware about microbeads and how it affects our waters, then let’s give you a little 101.
What exactly are microbeads? These are tiny plastic beads smaller than one millimeter that go to so many of your beauty products – scrubs, soaps, body wash, and toothpaste. Companies put these in their products with the promise of exfoliation and cleaning. These microbeads are designed to actually pass through the drains and the problem lies when water sanitation facilities can’t even gather these waste because they are so tiny, they pass through anything, eventually ending up in rivers and other bodies of water. You’ve probably used products that have microbeads in your daily regimen, not knowing that these beads are made from plastic. So why should you be alarmed? If they’re good for your beauty regimen, then who cares, right? Ever wonder what happens to those microbeads that go through the waters? They are so tiny that fish actually get to eat them as they are the same size as the food of fish and other sea creatures. Now what happens to the fish? Did you have one for dinner last night? Get the picture?
Studies show that in the US alone, more than eight trillion microbeads seep into aquatic habitats everyday. This has prompted President Barack Obama to recently sign a bill to ban the tiny particles from personal care products, and thankfully by 2017, they will already be banned in the US.
Last year, a new report on plastic pollution by international group Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment named our country as the third world’s biggest contributor of plastic pollution. And that’s just the leakage of plastic waste collected by our regular basureros that ended up in leaking dump sites. This percentage doesn’t even include the microbeads we regularly dump in our waterways.
The thing is, there are so many products available over the counter that have natural exfoliants and are actually biodegradable. From high-end luxury brands to local brands, there are already a lot of choices. The change just has to start from you, the consumer.
One of the largest brands of genuinely natural, affordable personal care, cosmetics and home care products is Human Nature, 100 percent made in the Philippines and 100 percent free from harmful chemicals. The company produces products that are pro-poor and best of all, pro-environment. Recently, it launched products that have the same qualities as mircobeads but don’t cause harm to our waters. The best part is that the products are so affordable and work better than the plastic counterpart. On your grocery, opt to choose 50g Human Nature’s 100% Natural Purifying Facial Scrub, which only costs P99.75; Human Nature’s 100% Natural Detoxifying Mask + Scrub for only P249.75 (100g), and Human Nature’s 100% Natural Vanilla Exfoliating Bar with Loofah Exfoliants that only costs P84.75. These products all contain natural acting beads made with seeds and fine bamboo granules. They smell good, act well for your skin, don’t burn a hole in your wallet and do not harm the environment.
To learn more about Human Nature and its advocacies, log on to www.humanheartnature.com.