Here at The Urban List we’re all about being healthy (or pretending like we are). We drink our green smoothies (if we have to), and lounge about in our activewear, even if we’ve not been to the gym in weeks. But when it comes to keeping the environment healthy, we get serious.
That’s why when we found out that some beauty products contain microbeads, which are SO bad for the environment, we just had to let you know about some that don’t, so that you can look great whilst not polluting the planet. Natch.
Microbeads, for those that don’t know (us, an hour ago), are little pieces of non-biodegradable plastic, often found in exfoliating products. These little beads are so tiny that they can’t be extracted from the water once they’ve been washed down the drain. This means that they end up in the oceans, where they are eaten by fish, before entering the human food chain which is less than ideal.
These little beads may be little, but they’re a big problem; they’re very toxic once consumed and so we really need to keep them out of our products. ‘Cos we know y’all are as green as it gets, here are a few exfoliants to try that won’t harm the planet:
Frank Body Original Body Scrub
The guys over at Frank are making a stand against microbeads, instead focusing on using all-natural ingredients in their scrubs such as roasted coffee and sea salt. Not only are their exfoliants health conscious, their natural ingredients scrub away dry flaky skin and target conditions such as acne, cellulite, stretch marks, psoriasis and eczema. Win!
Handsome Devil’s Co Coconut Body Scrub
Naughty by name, but not by nature, these scrubs are packed with natural ingredients including premium coconut oil, avocado and tomato seed oil, all cleaning, softening and moisturising your skin the all-natural way.
The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Body Scrub
The Body Shop is all about protecting the planet; their products are 100% vegetarian and as of 2015 they replaced all microbeads with either natural or naturally derived and biodegradable ingredients. Not a microbead in sight! And what could sound greener (for the planet and your body) than their green tea body scrub?! Like, so zen.
St. Ive’s Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub
An oldie but a goodie, we’ve been scrubbing our skin with St. Ive’s since way back when so it’s great to know that their fab scrubs exfoliate the non-harmful way. Featuring apricot and walnut, this exfoliator does what it says on the tin; exfoliates naturally, leaving skin soft and glowing.
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
This rice-based exfoliator is the bee’s knees! Super-gentle, the exfoliating powder reacts once in water released the rice enzymes to micro-exfoliate skin. Sounds fancy right? And it is! The ideal way to get smooth and brighter skin, not only is this exfoliator good for the planet, it’s much softer on skin than microbeads, whilst doing an even better job.
Dyptique Radiance Boosting Powder
Exfoliating using the natural powers found in white clay and powdered flower petals (oo-er), this gorgeously gentle scrub works its magic and is ideal for those with slightly sensitive skin, or skin conditions.
So off you go, armed with your new knowledge on evil microbeads! The planet thanks you.
Image credit: Frank Body