So, what are microplastics and how do they impact our health and the environment? Microplastics are tiny plastic particles smaller than a sesame seed. You will also often hear the term nano plastics which are even smaller plastic particles.
Microplastics are Everywhere
We are not exaggerating when we say that they are everywhere. When people think about microplastics they usually think about water bottles and food packaging, but they come from many synthetic textiles. Some major sources come from our clothes, tires, plastic bags, and even our beauty care products!
Microplastics have contaminated oceans, rivers, lakes and soil. They are in the food we eat and even the air we breathe. Animals ingest microplastics that harm them and cause ecological damage. Did you know that even sea salt often contains plastic particles due to ocean pollution?
Microplastics & Health Concerns
The reason this is so important is that it is bad for our health! Studies show that these tiny particles accumulate in our blood, lungs and organs. They can cause inflammation which can damage our cells and tissue leading to chronic disease. They can alter our gut microbiome causing digestive and immune system problems. Exposure to microplastics during pregnancy and early childhood could impact development. This is what we know so far and we have only begun to study the health effects on people.
Ways Personal Care Products Contribute to Microplastics
While the plastic bottles themselves break down into tiny particles in the environment after being thrown away, microplastics from plastic bottles can break off into our shampoos, conditioners, soaps and even our toothpaste while they are still in use. These can be absorbed in your skin and inhaled into your lungs.
Even more worrisome is that manufacturers often add microplastics as an ingredient to personal care products ON PURPOSE to help with exfoliation, skin conditioning, texture and to act as emulsifiers or stabilizers. It is a cheap way to achieve an aesthetically pleasing product but it is at a high cost to our health and the environment.
Plaine Products Circular Packaging Offers One Solution
Plaine Products has found a way to manufacture high quality products without plastic packaging or adding microplastics as ingredients to our products. Because our beauty care lines are such high quality, they are used in many salons and recommended by holistic practitioners.
Our bottles are aluminum, and our one-gallon jars are glass, both of which take back, disinfect and re-use through a rigorous washing process. It wasn’t easy but all of our ingredients are all-natural, vegan, cruelty-free, biodegradable, color safe and free of parabens, sulfates and toxins. We often go through multiple rounds of testing for each new product to ensure they meet our high standards and this is all done without plastic!
