Exfoliating Plastics Beads Scrubbing Out Sea Life

Scrubbing Out Sea Life
Exfoliating plastic beads feel good—unless you live in the ocean.
By Hillary Rosner
Posted Monday, June 16, 2008, at 2:45 PM ET

Is your exfoliant harming marine life?
A smiling model glides, mermaidlike, through a lush underwater garden. Undulating ribbons of something resembling kelp rise from the sea floor, and tiny enchanting pearl-like beads bubble up though the aquamarine water. Polish your troubles away with Olay Body Wash Plus Spa Exfoliating Ribbons, the subject of this commercial, and you too might feel as if you're floating through a luxurious Atlantis.

The trouble is, the more you exfoliate, the less Edenic that underwater realm becomes for the creatures who live there. That's because the exfoliating ingredient in Olay's body wash, and in most similar big-brand products (such as Dove Gentle Exfoliating Foaming Facial Cleanser and Clean & Clear Daily Pore Cleanser), is actually made out of plastic: tiny particles of polyethylene that scrub the dirt from your face and then wash straight down the drain and into watersheds and, eventually, oceans.

The entire article can be found here... www.slate.com...

I just wanted to pass this along. If I run out of all natural sea salt or sugar scrub I make my own... using sugar in the raw and a little olive oil.

reply to post by GetOutOfMyRabbitHole


The vanity industry sure is an interesting one. The chemicals that people use to feel beautiful are pretty insane if you ask me. I also can't believe how successful the industry is at playing on peoples insecurities. Well, I take that back. I can believe it, but it is disgusting.