Millions of so-called microbeads – plastic fragments usually less than one millimetre in size – can be found in a single tub of some facial scrubs and are often used as an exfoliating ingredient in hygiene and care products.
One shower using such a product could lead to 100,000 plastic particles being washed into the sea, as they are too small to be filtered out by sewerage works, according to a recent report by the House of Commons environmental audit committee.
MPs have now called for cosmetic companies to be banned from using microplastics in their products, such as facial scrubs, toothpastes, shaving gels and other toiletries.
