At Ecco Bella, we believe that a natural beauty company should only use safe, natural ingredients which make for the absolute best quality skin care. But just as what we put on our skin penetrates into our bodies, it also has an impact on the environment. This is why we prioritize ingredients that are safe for humans, wildlife and the earth in general.

We choose to avoid many harmful chemicals. There is a long list of unsafe and toxic ingredients that Ecco Bella excludes from our natural and organic skin care formulas, and plastic microbeads are on that list for many reasons.

Microbeads are tiny plastic beads that were patented in the 1970's but have only recently made their way into skin, body care and household products. They are widely used by many brands (in products such as cleansers, facial scrubs and even toothpaste!) because of their uniform, consistent shape and fast, efficient binding properties. It's also worth noting that microbeads are very inexpensive, so many brands that prioritize a quick-fix synthetic over a natural exfoliator choose microbeads. These plastic beads create a gritty friction that acts as an exfoliator, though there are many natural alternatives to this.

So now that you know why many brands use microbeads, we'd like to tell you why Ecco Bella does not. You might hear so-called experts say that microbeads are not unhealthy for humans. We suppose that depends on your definition of unhealthy, but we are of the mind that scrubbing your face with plastic isn't the healthiest choice. However, that's just scratching the surface, and we mean that literally. The real problem occurs after microbeads seemingly disappear down our drains, but reappear in oceans, rivers and lakes. Microbeads attach to fish, plant life and other organisms. Fish consume them, and the microbeads are absorbed into their bodies. They attach to the tissue of larger fish, and the humans who eat these fish ingest the microbeads as a result, creating a toxic chain reaction. What's more, the particles in microbeads can exist in the environment for years.

We are seeing a huge shift in the skincare industry. Some states are embracing a call to action by outright banning microbeads. In fact, Illinois has outlawed the production and sales of personal care products that contain microbeads. A bill to ban distribution and sales of microbeads was introduced recently by Congress Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.). The bill seeks to carry out this goal effective January 1st, 2018. That isn’t soon enough for us. A snippet from the corresponding press release sheds some crucial light on the subject:

“These tiny plastic particles that are polluting our environment are found in products specifically designed to be washed down shower drains,” said Pallone. “And many people buying these products are unaware of their damaging effects. If we know that these products will eventually reach our waterways, we must make sure that they don’t contain synthetic plastic that does not biodegrade and ultimately pollute our waterways. We have a responsibility to put a stop to this unnecessary plastic pollution.”

Ecco Bella is ahead of the game, providing skincare and cosmetics that is packaged in biodegradable materials and entirely free from microbeads. We don't believe in sacrificing the health of our customers or the environment, so we choose to spare no expense in order to fill our products with natural, safe and efficient ingredients from nature.

For example, our natural Leave-On Invisible Exfoliant & Blemish Remedy with fruit acids provides amazing exfoliation and skin-smoothing without a trace of microbeads. Organic Aloe Vera is the foundation of this multi-purpose skin care solution. Rich in antioxidants and potent natural healers and conditioners like our exclusive Vitamin Cells which contains, beta-carotene and six of the top skin healing nutraceuticals is a much better way to exfoliate wrinkles and blemishes in one easy to use product. Our concept is a simple one: Nature provides us with everything we need for beautiful skin and body care. Why would we choose silly plastic beads when we have so many safe and effective choices at our fingertips?

Our Intelligent Beauties know that flushing plastic beads into the waterways is no way to be beautiful. The well-being of the planet will always play a huge role in Ecco Bella's products, and excluding microbeads from our formulas is just one of the many ways we implement those values into our brand philosophy.

You can listen to this excellent interview to learn more about microbeads so that you can avoid buying them. 

http://www.wnyc.org/story/microplastics-our-water/