We all love a good scrub and exfoliation, but are scrubs beneficial for the skin?
Who hasn’t wondered down the isles of a shop smelling the aroma of beautifully packaged skin care products and wanted to try them all out? But do we all (actually) read the massive list of ingredients?
Not all scrubs are made the same way! A lot of bulk-produced body exfoliants are crammed with microbeads which are most frequently made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (ConnecticutDepartment of Energy & Environmental Protection, 2016). This is a PLASTIC. PET not only exfoliates your skin but it over exfoliates and rips away the vital mineral and oils that are there to protect your skin. Once pulling away the skins natural barrier the skin is open to transdermal penetration, meaning your skin is absorbing plastic to your blood stream, basically your skin and body are ingesting plastic (Treeactive, 2017). Associate Professor Greg Goodman, a fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists, says that scrubbing our skin with harsh plastics is doing our skin more harm than good as it removes the skins natural barrier and does not provide any sort of nourishment for the skin (Neil McMahon, 2016)
Besides the massive health issues of these microplastics, the environment is also suffering from these microplastics that are washed down the drain and into our water ways. This causes the environment and the creature within to be polluted with microplastics which they eat and studies have shown various species within Australia that have been found with large amounts of microplastics in their digestive systems (Neil McMahon, 2016).
There are so many alternative skin and body exfoliants that are great for your skin and the environment.
Sea salt is our favourite form of exfoliant because it exfoliates the skin effectively whilst nurturing it with essential vitamins and minerals.
Our 100% naturally derived Australian sea salt is farmed in a manner which is sustainable, meaning there are no added chemicals or anti caking agents, its pure sure dried Australian sea salts that are not only an antimicrobial for the skin but, packed with essential minerals: iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and iodine (Helen Greenwood, 2010). These minerals are great for feeding the skin and giving your body a natural glow whilst you exfoliate away dead skin cells. We also infuse all of our sea salt body scrubs with a nourishing combination of sweet almond, apricot kernel and avocado oils to truly hydrate the skin whilst offering our signature Turkish delight, limoncello blossom, cardamom espresso and mint granita essential oil blends to further assist in treating your skin and body.
All of our sea salt scrubs are free from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microbeads, so you can rest assured that as your treat yourself, you know that you are not negatively impacting the environment.
“Nature itself is the best physician.”
– Hippocrates
Resources:
- ConnecticutDepartment of Energy & Environmental Protection, 2016, Microbeads What is a microbead? Viewed 7 August 2023, https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Municipal-Wastewater/Microbeads#:~:text=Microbeads%20are%20most%20frequently%20made,such%20as%20polypropylene%20and%20polystyrene.
- Helen Greenwood, 2010, A mineral worth its salt, https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/a-mineral-worth-its-salt-20100412-s35f.html
- Neil McMahon, 2016, Plastic microbeads in facial scrubs causing damage to environment, viewed 7 August 2023, https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/plastic-microbeads-in-facial-scrubs-causing-damage-to-environment-20140405-365ph.html