Microplastics are synthetic polymer particles smaller than 5 millimetres that are added to cosmetics as scrub beads, film-formers or thickeners. They are not biodegradable and enter the environment via wastewater.
The EU banned solid microplastics in cosmetics from October 2023 (Regulation 2023/2055). For liquid polymers used as film-formers, transition periods apply until 2031 or 2035.
We have never used synthetic polymers and do not need to change anything.
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are synthetic polymer particles smaller than 5 millimetres. They are produced from petroleum and are not biodegradable. In cosmetics they are deliberately added, distinct from microplastics that break off from larger plastics.
The most common application in cosmetics was the use of polyethylene (PE) beads as a scrubbing agent in peelings and body scrubs. In addition, synthetic polymers are used as film-formers in hair spray, mascara and sunscreen, and as thickeners in creams and gels.
ECHA estimates that cosmetics and personal care products release approximately 36,000 tonnes of synthetic polymer particles into the environment each year via wastewater.
Which cosmetic products contain them?
Scrubs and peelings were historically the most well-known source: hard PE beads that mechanically exfoliate the skin. Following the EU ban, solid microplastics in scrubs are no longer permitted.
Synthetic polymers as film-formers or thickeners still appear in hair sprays (acrylates copolymer), foundations (polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA), sunscreen and eye makeup. These fall under transition periods of EU legislation that run until 2035 depending on the application.
How do you recognise microplastics on the INCI list?
The most common names are: Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Nylon-12, Nylon-6, Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) and Acrylates Copolymer. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) publishes a complete list of the synthetic polymers that fall under the restriction.
A practical rule of thumb: names ending in -acrylate, -methacrylate, -styrene or beginning with Poly- indicate a synthetic polymer. Carbomer and Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, widely used thickeners in skincare, are also synthetic polymers that fall under the regulation.
Are silicones also microplastics?
Silicones are synthetic polymers, but not all of them fall under the definition of microplastics in EU legislation. The regulation targets particles smaller than 5 millimetres. Silicones applied as a liquid or gel, such as Dimethicone in creams, do not fall as solid microplastic particles under the direct ban, but are included in the broader assessment of synthetic polymers.
Cyclosiloxanes such as Cyclopentasiloxane (D5) have been separately restricted by the EU due to persistence in the aquatic environment, independently of the microplastics discussion.
La Fuente Mía's approach
Our INCI lists contain no synthetic polymers. We use no Polyethylene, no Carbomer, no Acrylates Copolymer and no silicones. All ingredients in our body bars are of plant or mineral origin and fully biodegradable.
We also use no mineral oils or paraffin derivatives. Softening and film-forming are achieved through the saponification of plant oils: Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil and Sodium Ryzomate bind to the skin in a way that is fully biodegradable.
Last updated: 6 March 2026