Beauty Exfoliants That Destroy Marine Life

Before you purchase an exfoliant to scrub away dead skin cells from your face or body, examine what those little granules are actually made of. Check to see if they’re tiny plastic particles and if they are, understand that they’ll probably end up in the ocean to be ingested by birds, fish or marine organisms.

But that’s not the end of the problem because small pieces of plastic absorb high levels of toxins in the environment, according to scientists interviewed by the Canadian publication, the Manitoban. The scientists say the tinier the particle is, the more poisonous it becomes.

The same holds true for how that particle makes its way up the food chain. It goes like this: One fish eats the plastic particle and is eaten by a larger fish, which is eaten by an even larger fish. The problem is that bioaccumulation takes place, which means the level of toxicity grows. By the time a whale digs in, the original poison is far more toxic than it was in the beginning.

How long does it take for a tiny piece of plastic to degrade? No one seems to be able to answer that, according to experts interviewed by the Manitoban. Large pieces of plastic are very resistant to degradation as we know from seeing photos of an enormous trash vortex located in the Pacific Ocean. Why should we expect small pieces of plastic to take less time?

The good news is that consumers can control the problem by not buying products made with tiny plastic beads or polyethylene. Instead, purchase natural exfoliants made from seeds, beans or sugar.