Photo courtesy of beingcontent.com
Having previously being led to believe that the EU was all over the microbead issue, I've today found out that the exact opposite is the case.
There are currently no plans to ban the use of microbeads in Europe, unlike the USA, where President Obama signed a bill banning microbeads in December 2015. This means that brands that retail in the USA will have to make quick, sweeping changes in production as manufacturing is banned from mid 2017 and the full ban comes into effect two years later. Canada is also banning them.

If you are unaware of microbeads and what they are, there is a wealth of information online but in short they are the tiny plastic beads used in toothpastes and scrubs (face and body) that are basically polluting the waters and messing with our sealife. In short, we wash them down the drain, they get into our waters and fish/birds/whales/sealife in general mistakenly eat them. We then eat the fish, although the beads of plastic are deemed 'safe' for human consumption. (Erm, ok then")
Not great for the environment or sealife. And this is why the EU aren't concerned. It's an 'environment' issue, not a 'public health' issue.

Microbeads are in products across all price ranges from Neutrogena (a LOT), Olay and Aveeno to Clarins, Clinique, Kate Somerville, Bliss and Dermalogica , just to name a few. I found over 500 products using a simple search for 'microbeads' and the ingredient names.

US brands will now have to make th...