Canada Bans Microbeads in Cosmetics

The government of Canada has adopted regulations banning the manufacture, import and sale of personal care products containing plastic microbeads.

The Microbeads in Toiletries Regulations finalise a proposal issued in November. It bans the manufacture and import of personal care products containing plastic microbeads equal to or below 5mm in size by 1 January 2018. A sales prohibition takes effect six months later on 1 July.

The microbead definition extends to biodegradable plastics, as the extent to which these actually biodegrade in real-world applications has not been sufficiently demonstrated. This aligns with the definition under the US's Microbead-Free Waters Act, signed into law in early 2016.

Muhannad Malas, toxics programme manager at NGO Environmental Defence, applauded the Canadian government's action. "This ban will prevent millions of microplastic particles [from] entering our waterways," he said.

Canada's action marks the latest in a worldwide effort to phase out the use of the small plastic particles from cosmetics, as the tiny beads have been found to accumulate in waterways. Bans are under consideration in the UK and Ireland, while South Korea and Taiwan are contemplating similar measures.

Many retailers have also committed to voluntarily phasing out the use of microbeads ahead of regulatory deadlines.