State of microbeads in facial scrubs: persistence and the need for broader regulation.

Summary

Analysis of 28 facial scrubs across regions shows persistent use of microbeads despite bans, with up to 6298 ± 1543 beads/g detected even in fully banned regions. FTIR struggled to distinguish plastic microbeads from synthetic waxes, highlighting enforcement gaps and the need to broaden legal definitions to include synthetic waxes.

Key Findings

• Over half of exfoliant types identified were microbeads, indicating persistence despite varying stages of bans.
• In full-ban regions, 6/8 products still contained microbeads, with counts up to 6298 ± 1543 beads per gram.
• FTIR had difficulty distinguishing conventional plastic microbeads from synthetic waxes, supporting broader legal definitions.

Clinical Implications

Dermatologists and aesthetic practitioners can counsel patients on selecting microbead-free products; institutions can update procurement policies. Regulators should expand bans to synthetic waxes and strengthen enforcement, improving environmental and public health.

Limitations

• Small product sample size (n=28) and cross-sectional design limit generalizability.
• Material discrimination challenges may cause misclassification; batch-to-batch variability was not assessed.

Future Directions

Develop standardized analytical workflows to differentiate plastics vs synthetic waxes, expand surveillance to more products/regions, and evaluate environmental load reduction post-policy changes.