Composition of scrub-type cosmetics from the perspective of product ecology and microplastic content

Civilisational progress causes bigger and bigger interference in the natural environment. The demand for plastics and their production is constantly growing what is the source of wastes. One of the sources of such waste is cosmetic industry. The main source of fragmented polyethylene is the generally used mechanical peelings. The analysis included 130 scrub-type cosmetic preparations available in the Polish market. Proportional shares of the preparations with polyethylene, natural or mixed abrasive ingredient were determined. The types and frequencies of using natural abrasive materials and biodegradable polymers were characterised. It was analysed if the professional and generally available products differ in this respect. Among the analysed cosmetics, 72 (55%) included polyethylene, and for professional cosmetics, this proportion was 100. Compositions of drugstore cosmetics are varied, with many abrasive substances of natural origin, and only sometimes with polyethylene. The differences observed between generally available cosmetics and professional cosmetics are surprising and indicate a greater ecological awareness of individual clients. The problem will be raised in the coming years more and more frequently, and, as proved by this analysis, manufacturers of professional cosmetics are not ready for this yet, and they have no alternative ecological solutions.