The Dangers Lurking in Your Everyday Beauty Products

Face Wash and Body Scrub

Microbeads, also known as polyethylene, are present in face washes, body scrubs and exfoliators, as well as toothpastes like Crest 3D White and Crest Pro-Health. Dr. Amy Forman Taub, medical director and founder of Advanced Dermatology and skinfo Specialty Skincare Boutique in Glencoe and Lincolnshire, says microbeads are tiny beads of plastic used in skincare products for exfoliation. In addition to damaging skin, Forman Taub says microbeads are dangerous to the environment because they wind up at the bottom of lakes and oceans, where they are eaten by fish and end up in our food chain.

I have never been a fan [of microbeads] as they can cause irregular microscopic damage to the skin, says Forman Taub. It is better to use a Clarisonic brush and/or an exfoliating ingredient like alpha hydroxyl acid or salicylic acid.