At Silk Therapeutics, we have an unofficial credo: do no harm. We believe that beauty products should be untouched by harsh chemicals that can disrupt the body’s processes, so that they enhance your look without doing any damage. But this philosophy extends beyond the human body. Anti-aging and beauty products should not be at the cost of cultural or environmental damage. Recently, there was a story in the news that was a stark reminder of this fact.

Last week, research was released that showed 8 trillion plastic microbeads enter aquatic habitats daily in the United States alone, at massive cost to the wildlife. Commonly found in scrubs and toothpastes, microbeads add grit to product, and functionally scrub, clean and exfoliate. The microbeads are small enough to make it through water filtration systems, where they then enter natural habitats.

We know it’s important to exfoliate, but at what cost? There are natural or non-harmful ways to achieve the same cosmetic results without plastic microbeads. It’s up to us as a community to stay vigilant and be aware of the impact of the products that we use. We’re inching closer and closer to our tipping point, so every decision we make matters. Think about the impact of the products you use, both on you and on the world around you.