Nine in ten products from leading beauty brands have been found to contain microplastics, a new report has revealed.
In the first-of-its-kind study of more than 7,000 products from brands including L'Oréal Paris, Garnier, Nivea, Gillette, Oral-B, and Head & Shoulders, 87% contained microplastics, according to research by environmental non-profit Plastic Soup Foundation.
With more than seven kilos of microplastics from personal care products estimated to enter the environment across Europe every minute, the findings have reignited concerns about the effects of the materials on both the planet and human health.
“We are seeing a wealth of emerging evidence that plastic poses a risk to not just the environment, but human health also,” said Maria Westerbos, founder of Plastic Soup Foundation.
The report comes as microplastics have been discovered in the lungs of living people for the first time, with plastic being found in 11 out of 13 samples taken from patients undergoing surgery.
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