Plastic is found in many beauty products these days. We show you how to easily recognize microplastics and cosmetics without microplastics with a glow factor
Image source and copyright by The Honest Company
Author Catherine Heal
cosmetics should make us more beautiful. However, more and more people are also attaching importance to the fact that this does not happen at any cost. You are looking for alternative cosmetics without Micro plasticthat not only keep an eye on themselves, but also the environment and the oceans.
Related topics: Zero waste bathroom: oasis of wellbeing in the name of sustainability
But why is microplastic used in cosmetics, what makes it so harmful and how can you recognize products made with microplastics. You can find all this and the most beautiful brands for cosmetics without microplastics here:
The most beautiful cosmetic brands without microplastics
The following natural cosmetics and clean beauty Brands are just a few who have dedicated themselves to cosmetics without microplastics and who have other aspects of sustainability in mind in addition to not using plastic; such as the renouncement of animal testing, environmentally friendly packaging or the own or fair cultivation of ingredients.
- Honest by Jessica Alba
- Aveda
- i + m
- Weleda
- Kora Organics
- Dr. Hauschka
1. Honest by Jessica Alba
Clean beauty by Jessica Alba. The famous actress's natural cosmetic brand places special emphasis on selected ingredients that are free of pollutants and microplastics. Here, transparency is key.
The so-called "NO List" stands for carefully selected and verified ingredients. In addition, no animal testing and strict quality controls. An internal laboratory helps to develop the new formulas. A skin care and make-up line that aims to emphasize the beauty of different women.
Where to buy: Douglas *
2. Aveda
Founded by Horst Rechelbacher, is Aveda* a pioneer in holistic beauty and environmental responsibility. In accordance with Ayurvedic principles, Aveda relies on the use of medicinal herbs from organic and biodynamic agriculture. The beneficial products have even been 2021% vegan since 100.
The medicinal herbs are also obtained using an environmentally friendly extraction method with CO2 at low temperatures. In addition, the company is committed to converting farmers in India to organic farming.
Where to buy: Aveda Online Shop *
3. i + m Berlin
The vegan natural cosmetic brand from Berlin is the winner of the German Sustainability Award 2019. It rejects stereotypical beauty ideals because beauty has many faces and every skin has its individual needs. There is also a strict rejection of the exploitation of animals.
The brand thus stands for fairness, ecology and animal welfare. Natural ingredients from organic farming, low resource consumption and recyclability. In 2014 the i + m women's refuge was also built in Zambia. There women find protection from violence and help to help themselves.
Where to buy: i + m online shop
4. Weleda
Weleda is one of the best-known natural cosmetics brands and has a wide range of shower gel, shampoo, body oils, deodorants and even sun protection products. 100 percent cosmetics without microplastics. The products are also NATRUE-certified and consist of natural organic raw materials. They come from tested wild collections or from our own cultivation. Many of the products are also vegan and generally cruelty-free. Weleda does not use microplastics.
Where to buy: In many drug stores or at Douglas *
5. Kora Organics
Clean Beauty by supermodel Miranda Kerr. In 2009 the model founded her own beauty label Kora Organics in Australia. Your products are vegan and cruelty free. In addition, only natural ingredients are used, such as rose hip oil, sea buckthorn oil and green tea. Your Noni Glow is particularly popular because it comes from the extract of the Noni tree. The philosophy of the model and the brand: care for skin and soul.
Where to buy: Kora Organics online shop or at Douglas *
6. Dr. Hauschka
Dr. Hauschka is probably one of the oldest natural cosmetics brands. The brand belongs to Wala Heilmittel GmbH, which was founded by Rudolf Hauschka in the XNUMXs. Since it was founded, the company has dealt with suppliers in an exemplary manner and also has socially and environmentally friendly cultivation projects around the world. Of course, this also means that all Dr. Hauschka products are cosmetics without microplastics.
Where to buy: Dr. Hauschka online shop or at Douglas *
Why is microplastic harmful?
Microplastics are solid and insoluble synthetic polymers (plastics) in the size range from under five millimeters to a thousand nanometers. Many cosmetic products contain these tiny particles, which are so small that some of them can only be seen under a microscope.
If you clean your face with it in the morning and in the evening, wash your hands or take care of your body, the particles get into the sea through our drainage channels. They are too small to be screened out by sewage treatment plants and most of them are not biodegradable. The result is that the oceans are polluted with microplastics that come from our cosmetics.
Not only the environment and its fragile biotope are disturbed. Scientists have found that the plastic particles also damage marine organisms such as birds, mussels and fish. They ingest the particles through food and thus burden their organism. This way, the microplastics get back on our plate.
Why is there plastic in cosmetics at all?
The reason plastic is used in the cosmetics industry is because it is inexpensive to produce. For example, compared to biodegradable peels such as coconut shells, salt or seeds. In many cases, the cosmetics industry itself depends on a healthy ocean, because more and more raw materials for cosmetics are being extracted from the sea, such as sea fennel or algae for anti-cellulite treatments.
However, microplastics are not only found noticeably in peelings, but also in tiny to liquid form Shampoos, Shower gels, soaps as well as creams. For the ingredients, these can be listed under various acronyms of chemical substances. Therefore it is almost impossible for the consumer to recognize cosmetic products with microplastics.
Related topics: Microplastic-free detergents - this is how environmentally friendly washing works.
The best apps for the microplastic check
Since there is an obligation to declare the ingredients in cosmetics, it is fairly easy to identify pollutants and microplastics in cosmetics with the help of these apps.
With the "Beat the Micro Bead" app it is possible to scan the barcode of the products and find out whether they are harming the oceans. If the traffic light is red, the company is using microspheres, if it is orange, the company has committed itself to withdrawing microplastics from circulation and if the traffic light is green, the company does not use microplastics at all.
Other helpful apps are "Codeheck" and "ToxFox". With Codecheck, the check can now be personalized according to the needs of the user, e.g. if the product should also be vegan.
Names of microplastics
Greenpeace also has one List published with all substances you should pay attention to in order to recognize all types of plastics, including silicones, in cosmetic articles. Plastics are usually only listed under their chemical short form, such as the often used PEG. The federal government also has in its BUND purchasing guide published a list of all cosmetic brands that use microplastics.
- Acrylate copolymer (AC)
- Acrylate Crosspolymer (ACS)
- Dimethiconol
- methicone
- Polyamides (PA, Nylon)
- Polyacrylates (PA)
- Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
- Polyquaternium (PQ)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Polyethylene glycol (PEG)
- Polyethyleneterephthalate (PET)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polypropylene glycol (PPG)
- Polystyrenes (PS)
- Polyurethanes (PUR)
- siloxanes
Nature's helpers as a care product
When a large part of the beauty industry sticks its head in the sand, consumers are not allowed to do the same and instead need to devote themselves to the manufacturers who care about the beauty of the whole world. It is our responsibility to use care products without plastic. After all, nature's helpers are so generously offered to us.
* Affiliate links: All of the products listed with us are selected independently by our editorial team. If you click on this link, House of Eden may receive compensation for this. More information about this here..
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