The Devil's Face Wash

According to a Twitter poll (the MOST reliable source for gathering consumer data), 79% of respondents have used either Clean & Clear Scrub or Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Scrub. These two scrubs were our main options as preteens, back when we *thought* we knew what acne was, and we would buy literally anything that Vanessa Anne Hudgens was selling us.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until the last 8 years or so that people started discussing the impact of these scrubs on the environment. Both of these scrubs, and many, many others, used microplastic beads as their exfoliating agent. Microplastics enter the water system and eventually make it to the oceans, where they become a danger to marine life. This video explains microplastics better than I ever could:

According to a 2013 study, Clean & Clear Daily Pore Cleanser contributed the most microplastic to the control area's waste stream at 2.68 grams per consumer per year. This is a wild amount when you imagine it multiplied by the number of people who used Clean & Clear's scrub products (which are available in 46 countries) from the 1990s to 2017. Luckily, a bunch of the leading cosmetics companies got their sh*t together and phased out microplastics by 2017.

Today, most face scrubs incorporate natural exfoliants, like almonds, bamboo, and lipid beads that break down as you scrub. As you may have guessed by the video, Lush is a leader in this movement. They make it their mission to create natural cleansers that aren't only plastic free, but also come in recyclable containers. Other companies, like Burt's Bees and ACURE have incorporated natural exfoliants into their formulas. Burt's Bees has a scrub that uses small pieces of peach pit as an exfoliator, while ACURE uses kelp powder and walnut shell in their scrub.

As devious as microplastics have been in the past, it doesn't mean they can't be stopped! Check the ingredients in your face washes (and body washes) and make the switch if there's something sketchy on that list!