The government’s decision to ban microbeads in cosmetics will lead to “inevitable” cost increases for the sector, as suppliers try to develop alternatives.
The Cosmetic Toiletry & Perfumery Association said plans to ban the use of microbeads by the end of next year, as announced by Defra secretary Andrea Leadsom this week, meant extra investment was needed “to ensure new formulations are also safe, stable and effective as expected by consumers and as required under stringent EU cosmetics laws”.
While welcoming the proposed ban and noting its members, which include the likes of L’Oréal, Unilever and P&G, were well on track to end their use of beads by 2020, the CTPA warned there would be “inevitable cost to researching alternatives and reformulating”. It did not say what impact it expected the increase in costs to have on retail prices for cosmetics.
Microbeads are being banned over concerns about their impact on the marine environment, but the CTPA said the ban would “not have a significant impact on the enormous problem of plastic litter in the seas”.
However, Bulldog Skincare founder Simon Duffy said there were a host of natural alternatives to microbeads, and the sector had been “slow to react” to concerns.
Defra said it would gather evidence on the impact of microbeads found elsewhere - including in cleaning products - before considering plans to tackle the threat to marine life from other plastics, such as microfibres.
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