The US House of Representatives has approved a bill to prohibit the manufacture and sale of personal care products that contain plastic microbeads, which are known to have a significant negative impact on the environment.
President Obama signed into US law the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 on 28 December after a series of studies showed that trillions of the miniscule plastic particles were flowing into bodies of water across the United States.
The bill introducing the new law was co-sponsored by both Republican and Democrat representatives and will come into effect in July 2017.
Commenting on the move, Kim Allan of Botanical Brands, said: “We have supported the Beat The Bead campaign for a number of years now and welcome this move by the US Government to ban the use of plastic microbeads in skincare and personal care products. This is a global concern, which will ultimately have an impact on the UK cosmetics industry. Many companies already produce skincare products without the use of plastic microbeads, showing that natural alternatives are not only available but effective too.
“As a supplier of eco, natural and organic beauty brands from around the world, we have actively campaigned for this cause and ensured that the facial exfoliation products in the Living Nature and Botanicals ranges are listed on The Good Scrub Guide. This useful guide is an excellent resource for any professionals or consumers seeking exfoliation products free-from plastic microbeads.”
