GoodSwap Get notified

Beauty ingredient · Exfoliant / glitter

Plastic microbeads and glitter

Plastic particles used for texture or sparkle; plastic microbeads were banned in rinse-off cosmetics in the US in 2015.

  • Expert review pending
Low concern Level 1 of 4 How concern levels work

A minor or very limited concern, such as being an ultra-processing marker only. The concern level sets how many points plastic microbeads and glitter costs on a product’s receipt.

What the evidence says

  • Restricted useRegulatory

    The US bans plastic microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics (2015), and the EU restricts intentionally added microplastics (2023). [1][2]

Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.

Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (9)
  • pmma
  • glitter
  • nylon 66
  • polyester 3
  • polyethylene beads
  • acrylates copolymer beads
  • plastic microbeads and glitter
  • polymethylsilsesquioxane beads
  • polyethylene terephthalate glitter

Sources

  1. Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-114)

    U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo) · Dec 28, 2015 · Law

    “The manufacture or the introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of a rinse-off cosmetic that contains intentionally-added plastic microbeads.”

    govinfo.gov

  2. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 of 25 September 2023 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 as regards synthetic polymer microparticles

    European Union (Official Journal) · Sep 25, 2023 · Law

    “Concerning the ban on the placing on the market of ‘microbeads’, i.e. synthetic polymer microparticles for use as an abrasive, i.e. namely to exfoliate, polish or clean, mainly used in rinse-off cosmetic products or detergents, no transitional period was proposed”

    eur-lex.europa.eu