When Plaine Products started, our mission was simple: reduce single-use plastic. At first, that meant focusing on reusable bottles. But as we learned more about the personal care industry, we discovered something surprising. Plastic isn’t just on the outside of products, it can be inside them too.
Plastic packaging has become the norm because it’s cheap and flexible, thanks in part to fossil fuel subsidies. But affordability comes at a cost. Plastics are made from fossil fuels and contain chemical additives, such as bisphenols (BPA), phthalates, and PFAS, designed to make them more durable and pliable. Unfortunately, many of these chemicals are known to be harmful. They can leach into products, especially when exposed to heat or acidic substances, and eventually make their way into our bodies through the food, water, and personal care items we use daily.
At Plaine Products, we take these concerns seriously. That’s why the liners in our aluminum bottles are BPA-free, preventing aluminum from leaching into your products. But avoiding plastic isn’t just about the container—it’s also about what’s inside. And that’s where things get even trickier.
Three Plastic Ingredients to Avoid: Phthalates, Liquid Plastics & Polyethylene
Phthalates, which have been phased out of food packaging due to their toxicity, are still allowed to be in personal care products to make the fragrance in shampoos and other cosmetic products linger. They are often hidden in that term "fragrance" that some brands like to hide behind to avoid telling you what's actually in the product. Phthalates have been strongly linked to endocrine disruption, early puberty in girls, and increased asthma in children.
Liquid plastics are a whole category of chemicals that are used to enhance personal care products' performance and customer experience. To avoid liquid plastics, stay away from products with ingredients that end in -cone or -siloxane, like dimethicone or cyclomethicone. In addition to concerns about personal health, they have been connected to an increase in cardiac and respiratory health concerns. Liquid plastics also contribute to plastic pollution and environmental concerns when they go down the drain.
Polyethylene is the main ingredient in microbeads, those small, solid plastic beads which are intentionally added to cosmetic products for exfoliating, smoothing, or polishing the skin. While some health risks are still being researched, potential concerns include skin irritation, gum problems, and the possibility of endocrine disruption. Microbeads have also been found to accumulate in the environment, working their way into the food chain, another way for them to be potentially affecting human health.
Don’t take our word for it. Look up the ingredients in your hair and skin care. You’ll probably be surprised. Plaine Products lists all of the ingredients for all of our products on each product page, and you can find a full list of all of our ingredients here. You can also read about the amazing alternatives we've found here.
