It seems odd but the only one sphere of a business that still ignoring the plastic problem is a beauty industry. The touch of fashion and luxury makes us to forget that luxury jars and posh bottles are not always fully recyclable. 

We can't ignore the fact that 90% of all cosmetic products are still in plastic. It is cheaper packaging for a manufacturer and makes customer sense as it's lightweight and travel-safe. Plastic pumps for lotions and soaps, sprays and foaming bottles are really comfortable and hard to replace.

Unfortunately, we use and produce much more plastic than we are able to recycle. Most of the plastic packaging contains other materials and when it's difficult to recycle it goes to the landfill. It is happening every day.

Maybe you think it is not a huge problem but when you look at the amount of make up, skincare and cosmetic products you use everyday. Starting from shower gel and finishing with mascara - all packaging is plastic. Most of the cosmetic products have complicated packaging: metal parts, plastic tubes, mixed packaging.

"I myself have twenty-one product just for the hair, and if I would collect all cosmetics that I use - I would be able to open a shop and live on the profit for five years! I'm the beauty addict, just like everyone else these days.." Alina Perfance 

This is a modern trend of one-time-use beauty dictate us the way to live, wear, smell and look. 

The problem of plastic microbeads became aware so quickly even on the government level. It must be the increasing speed of the pollution and unreversible circumstances we could face if we would carry on using microbeads.

On 9th of January 2018, the British Government launched the law that banned microbeads completely. From now on all manufacturers are prohibited by law add to any products of personal care plastic microbeads. 

Microbeads are small plastic particles less than a millimetre in a dimension that used as a cheaper exfoliator in rinse-off products like: face and body scrubs, shower gels and even toothpaste. You can find them in the list of ingredients. There are various names: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polylactic acid, or nylon. 

Well, really if you try any cosmetic product you will notice that plastic microbeads that go down to the drain and then into the river and oceans.

The actual plastic bottles and bags are dangerous enough for a ocean wildlife but with microbeads - they might end up in our organs one day with the seafood we consume!

We can use natural biodegradable exfoliants like the apricot kernel and jojoba grains, coffee, sugar and salt scrubs and biological exfoliators like citric, salicylic and lactic acid.

"I really like the way L'Oreal managed the problem of microbeads by launching Smooth Sugar Scrubs. I think this is one of the most conscious beauty brands we have on the leading market and I'm glad they exist." -Alina Perfance

What can we possibly do about it?

"As a part of a  new beauty generation, I can't ignore this problem. More beauty brands appear, but not many actually do something about pollution and plastic problem. We have organic brands, we have vegan brands and even cruelty-free but there is nothing changed about plastic packaging in beauty products." - Alina Perfance

This is a question of an attitude and our testimonials are bringing good for people and the planet.

Even if it is not always easy to refuse from budget plastic packaging we will continue using environmental-wise packaging.

The result is all our Perfance face creams and moisturisers are glass jar packaging. Most of our body products like Black Moroccan Soap, body scrubs and body lotions are aluminium tins packaging.

We are working on researching the best possible packaging for liquid products: before launching a new product we make a decision on what packaging to use. 

We do not test products on animals or use any animal-based products.

We never use microbeads - only natural goodness. Perfance Dead Sea Salt Scrubs are an amazing exfoliator that enriches skin with minerals. What possible do good plastic exfoliating microbeads for your skin?

Is there is a biological plastic?

Unfortunately, cornstarch plastic or any other vegetable based plastic is not a solution - it will create the same amount of pollution but with wasting real natural resources. The real solution is - we should completely refuse from plastic.

"When we look back in 70's we did manage to live without plastic: paper bags and glass bottles created that genuine atmosphere and the feel of the product, no matter was it a bottle of milk or a paper box of talcum powder. " - Alina Perfance

We are here to make our own choice everyday.  It is only depending on every single customer that goes to the shop and making that choice.

Just imagine if people would stop buying products in plastic packaging I can promise you tomorrow manufacturers would replace packaging into environmental-friendly.

The same way we refused from animal-based products and testing on animals long time ago and Vegan cosmetics became a choice number one. 

The action plan:

1. Recycle as much as possible. Check local recycling system and reduce general waste as more as you can do it. Not everything that gets into recycling would be 100% recycled - so make sure you do your best. 

2. Choose glass and tins packaging over one-time use plastic. Many things like organic soap that comes in paper packaging or a tin are much better for a planet. And glass bottles and jars does give that hint of a genuine luxury on your dressing table. 

3. Refuse from plastic carrier bags - get a shopper.

"I don't have any plastic bags at home for a long time, I use Cath Kidston Foldaway Shopping bag - I keep it in my handbag and it unreplaceable for any shopping groceries or a new shoes.

4. Find out if cosmetics that you use has microbeads in it. To be honest, I can't find on the major beauty brands website full list of ingredients like it is some kind of a secret. This information should be available to the public. But you can always phone up to Customer Service and make a request: you would be surprised that some of the very famous skincare products are still tested on animals and can't be classified as vegan. Or even with microbeads - I'm sure some manufacturers still using them.

This is only your choice to make - leave our planet polluted and abundant or create a new intelligent thinking regarding environment.