So you’ve heard about plastic micro-beads and how they are in most of your beauty products right? No? Then listen up.

These little specks of exfoliation pollution are causing serious problems in our waterways and eco-systems.


“Tiny particles of plastic have been added to possibly thousands of personal care products sold around the world.

These microbeads, hardly visible to the naked eye, flow straight from the bathroom drain into the sewer system.

Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to filter out microbeads and that is the main reason why, ultimately, they contribute to the Plastic Soup swirling around the world’s oceans.

Sea creatures absorb or eat microbeads.

These microbeads are passed along the marine food chain.

Since humans are ultimately at the top of this food chain, it is likely that we are also absorbing microbeads from the food we eat.

Microbeads are not biodegradable and once they enter the marine environment, they are impossible to remove.”

– www.beatthemicrobead.org


What’s more scary is that you’ve probably been flushing these little critters down your drain for years. We all have. Which is why in short, we need both positive manufacturing changes on behalf of beauty product companies, and we also need to become more aware of the products we are purchasing.

We’ve put together a short list of 10 facial scrubs you can buy with completely biodegradable exfoliation beads.

Do you know of any more? Do share! … in the comments below.



  1. Burt’s Bees  – Peach and Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub – Botanical exfoliant.
  2. Derma E – Exfoliating Scrub with Fruit Enzymes – Fruit Enzymes and Dead Sea Salt.
  3. Pangea organics – Egyptian geranium with adzuki bean & cranberry Facial Scrub – Exfoliants from Adzuki beans.
  4. Surya Brasil – Surya Brasil Sapien Women Facial Scrub – Exfoliants from coconut bark and organic Buriti.
  5. The Body Shop – Aloe Gentle Exfoliator – Community Trade aloe vera and jojoba to gently exfoliate.
  6. Yes to – Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub – Grapefruit for exfoliating bliss.
  7. Alba Botanica – Pineapple enzyme facial cleanser – Pineapple enzyme.
  8. Sukin – Super Greens Detoxifying Facial Scrub – Jojoba beads and Bamboo gently exfoliate the skin.
  9. Mukti – 2-in-1 Resurfacing Exfoliant – Jojoba floraspheres that melt into the skin, plus Bamboo stem particles.
  10. Kora – Exfoliating Cream – organically grown Oat Flour and Bamboo