Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen, dass Mikroplastik in kosmetischen und persönlichen Pflegeprodukten wie Sonnenschutzmitteln, Feuchtigkeitscremes, Händedesinfektionsmitteln, Deodorants und Lippenstiften von Forschung und Regulierungsbehörden übersehen wird.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389424016327

From the linked article:

Microplastics in leave-on cosmetic and personal care products are being overlooked by research and regulators, new research shows.

A new critical review, conducted by scientists at the University of Birmingham reveals a concerning lack of testing on leave-on products such as sunscreens, moisturisers, hand-sanitizers, deodorants and lipsticks, which could contain ingredients that carry both environmental and health implications. The review, ‘Beyond microbeads: Examining the role of cosmetics in microplastic pollution and spotlighting unanswered questions,’ is published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Dr Anna Kukkola from the University of Birmingham said: “We have conducted a comprehensive systematic review of the current state of knowledge regarding microplastics in cosmetic and personal care products. Our analysis reveals a significant oversight in current research and global regulatory frameworks that predominantly concentrate on rinse-off products.

“From a health perspective the reality is that there is very little knowledge about what happens to these products after they are applied to the skin. There are several possible routes through which these ingredients can be taken up by our bodies, depending on mode of application of the product. Lip balms can be swallowed for example, while it is possible that smaller sized plastic particles could penetrate through the skin and into the body, via hair follicles and sweat ducts (called the transappendageal route). Given how much of these formulas our bodies can and do absorb, it is concerning that little to no research has taken place to investigate the associated health effects, something that needs to be rectified.”

The paper suggests that the term “microbead”, which specifically applies to “rinse-off” products, has been misused as a catch-all phrase for all microplastics in cosmetics and personal care products in the literature related to product testing, and argues that this has resulted in shortfalls in microplastic regulations globally, which have been skewed towards the “rinse-off” products. Thus, a potentially significant part of the microplastic contamination from leave-on products is being unintentionally missed from global legislation.

I really wish there was a more detailed list of ingredients, not just stating the compounds but also particle size if applicable. It’s not just plastics but also other compounds like TiO2 in sunscreen. We know micro / nano particles can have vastly different properties than macro particles. But as ingredients both are treated the same.