Microplastics are solid synthetic polymer (plastic) particles, insoluble in water. Due to their small size (<5mm) they often pass through sewage water filtration systems and can pollute waterways; microplastics impact the food chain as they can be ingested by marine organisms. Cosmetics/ personal care products account for 2% of microplastic pollutants in the ocean*. Ahead of legislations, AS Watson has taken the positive step to ban the use of microplastic in rinse-off Own Brand cosmetics/personal care scrub products development since 2014. To further fulfil our commitment to the environment, AS Watson has stopped selling all rinse-off cosmetics products / personal care products containing microplastics at its stores since January 2020. *Source: Boucher, J. and Friot D. (2017). Primary Microplasticsin the Oceans: A Global Evaluation of Sources.
