🌊 🍽 Microplastics in beauty products, where do they end up?

What's in my food?

Have you ever found hair in your food? Or taken a bite of food only to discover the hair then?

What about plastic? Have you ever found plastic in your food? If you found a teeny tiny piece around the diameter of a piece of hair, then you found microplastic.

Microplastic and nanoplastic are terms get thrown around often when we talk about pollution, but less when we’re talking about food. But, they’re connected. Most likely, we’re eating plastic every day without noticing it.

What's in my food?

Have you ever found hair in your food? Or taken a bite of food only to discover the hair then?

What about plastic? Have you ever found plastic in your food? If you found a teeny tiny piece around the diameter of a piece of hair, then you found microplastic.

Microplastic and nanoplastic are terms get thrown around often when we talk about pollution, but less when we’re talking about food. But, they’re connected. Most likely, we’re eating plastic every day without noticing it.

What's in my food?

Have you ever found hair in your food? Or taken a bite of food only to discover the hair then?

What about plastic? Have you ever found plastic in your food? If you found a teeny tiny piece around the diameter of a piece of hair, then you found microplastic.

Microplastic and nanoplastic are terms get thrown around often when we talk about pollution, but less when we’re talking about food. But, they’re connected. Most likely, we’re eating plastic every day without noticing it.

How does it get into your food? You’ve guessed it: pollution. Let’s take ocean pollution as an example. Plastic trash floating in the ocean—even floating islands of trash—is slowly broken down by the sun and sea. Think about a cookie crumbling (very slowly over many, many decades)—the crumbs are micro- and nanoplastics (but less delicious, amirite?). As plastics break down in the ocean, micro- and nanoparticles are released into the air(!) and water and eaten, absorbed, and breathed(?) by sea creatures (even Nemo).

How does it get into your food? You’ve guessed it: pollution. Let’s take ocean pollution as an example. Plastic trash floating in the ocean—even floating islands of trash—is slowly broken down by the sun and sea. Think about a cookie crumbling (very slowly over many, many decades)—the crumbs are micro- and nanoplastics (but less delicious, amirite?). As plastics break down in the ocean, micro- and nanoparticles are released into the air(!) and water and eaten, absorbed, and breathed(?) by sea creatures (even Nemo).

Produced on purpose: Primary microplastics

These slow-crumbling pieces are called secondary microplastics, but there is another more abundant form: primary microplastics or plastics produced to be tiny. These you can find in your cosmetic products (among other culprits). They are deliberately added to cosmetics to add exfoliating properties, create "gloss," and as fillers to bulk out products.

These microbeads are mostly not captured by water treatment plants and so end up in rivers, seas, and oceans. In addition to adding to the plastic soup and harming marine creatures, which is worrying enough, some of these microbeads end up back on our plates.

Produced on purpose: Primary microplastics

These slow-crumbling pieces are called secondary microplastics, but there is another more abundant form: primary microplastics or plastics produced to be tiny. These you can find in your cosmetic products (among other culprits). They are deliberately added to cosmetics to add exfoliating properties, create "gloss," and as fillers to bulk out products.

These microbeads are mostly not captured by water treatment plants and so end up in rivers, seas, and oceans. In addition to adding to the plastic soup and harming marine creatures, which is worrying enough, some of these microbeads end up back on our plates.

How does it get into your food? You’ve guessed it: pollution. Let’s take ocean pollution as an example. Plastic trash floating in the ocean—even floating islands of trash—is slowly broken down by the sun and sea. Think about a cookie crumbling (very slowly over many, many decades)—the crumbs are micro- and nanoplastics (but less delicious, amirite?). As plastics break down in the ocean, micro- and nanoparticles are released into the air(!) and water and eaten, absorbed, and breathed(?) by sea creatures (even Nemo).

Among the common shampoo brands, we found the following contain known microplastics: Head & Shoulders 2-in-1 Classic Clean Shampoo & Conditioner; TRESemmé 24 Hour Body & Volume Shampoo; Aussie 3 Minute Miracles Moisture Shampoo; Pantene 3in1 Glatt & Seidig Shampoo, Pflegespülung & Kur; Dove Advanced Hair Series; and so many more. Their list of hair products with known microplastics has 592 lines.

We guarantee that you'll never find Yas Alpaca on this list. We offer complete transparency with our ingredients and hope that other brands will follow our example.

Among the common shampoo brands, we found the following contain known microplastics: Head & Shoulders 2-in-1 Classic Clean Shampoo & Conditioner; TRESemmé 24 Hour Body & Volume Shampoo; Aussie 3 Minute Miracles Moisture Shampoo; Pantene 3in1 Glatt & Seidig Shampoo, Pflegespülung & Kur; Dove Advanced Hair Series; and so many more. Their list of hair products with known microplastics has 592 lines.

We guarantee that you'll never find Yas Alpaca on this list. We offer complete transparency with our ingredients and hope that other brands will follow our example.

Produced on purpose: Primary microplastics

These slow-crumbling pieces are called secondary microplastics, but there is another more abundant form: primary microplastics or plastics produced to be tiny. These you can find in your cosmetic products (among other culprits). They are deliberately added to cosmetics to add exfoliating properties, create "gloss," and as fillers to bulk out products.

The plastic inside us

Because we breathe air, eat, and drink, it’s not surprising that these plastic particles are inside us. But, before now, it was hard to prove it. Now, thanks to a new scientific technique, they’re being found inside us and not just our stomachs and lungs.

The plastic inside us

Because we breathe air, eat, and drink, it’s not surprising that these plastic particles are inside us. But, before now, it was hard to prove it. Now, thanks to a new scientific technique, they’re being found inside us and not just our stomachs and lungs.

What does it all mean?

It’s still unclear what the real impact is on us, but these tiny pieces of plastic have shown to cause infertility, inflammation, and cancer in lab animals. All conditions we could do without.

What does it all mean?

It’s still unclear what the real impact is on us, but these tiny pieces of plastic have shown to cause infertility, inflammation, and cancer in lab animals. All conditions we could do without.