Source: https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/microplastics/ Other · Reef research: Some concern # Microplastics (plastic microbeads) Solid plastic particles used for texture. Named in some reef rules and flagged by marine-protection guidance. Our checker flags the common plastic polymers by name; many other synthetic polymers are not microplastics. No law we track restricts Microplastics (plastic microbeads). ## Where it’s restricted No location we track restricts Microplastics (plastic microbeads). ## Why it’s regulated The EU restricts synthetic polymer microparticles in REACH Annex XVII as entry 78, set by Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 of 25 September 2023. The restriction bans placing these microparticles on the market at 0.01% by weight or more where they are present to confer a sought-after characteristic. Rinse-off products are covered from 17 October 2027 and leave-on products from 17 October 2029, and the Commission estimated a cumulative emission reduction of approximately 500,000 tonnes of microplastics over 20 years. ## What the reef research says Hall et al. (2015) report for the first time that reef-building corals ingest microplastics, and they found microplastics in reef water near inshore reefs on the Great Barrier Reef. In feeding trials, corals consumed up to about 50 micrograms of plastic per square centimetre per hour, at rates similar to their intake of plankton and Artemia nauplii. The ingested particles stayed in the coral gut cavity wrapped in tissue, and the authors suggest high concentrations could impair coral health. Plankton tows near inshore reefs found microplastics at low concentrations at every sampling location, and the particles resembled those used in marine paints and fishing floats. Napper et al. (2015) studied polyethylene microbeads taken from several cosmetic exfoliants, estimated that 4,594 to 94,500 could be released in a single use, and called such exfoliants a potentially important, yet preventable, source of marine microplastic. - [Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 amending Annex XVII to REACH (synthetic polymer microparticles, entry 78), EUR-Lex](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32023R2055) - [Hall, Berry, Rintoul, Hoogenboom (2015), Microplastic ingestion by scleractinian corals, Marine Biology 162(3):725-732, doi:10.1007/s00227-015-2619-7 (abstract read at JCU repository)](https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/38971/) - [Napper, Bakir, Rowland, Thompson (2015), Characterisation, quantity and sorptive properties of microplastics extracted from cosmetics, Marine Pollution Bulletin, doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.07.029 (PubMed record)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26234612/) ## Products that contain it (56) [ Australian Gold SPF 30 Lotion SPF 30 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/australian-gold-spf-30-lotion/)[ Australian Gold SPF 50 Lotion SPF 50 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/australian-gold-spf-50-lotion/)[ Australian Gold SPF 70 Lotion SPF 70 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 3 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3Unverified in 1 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/australian-gold-spf-70-lotion/)[ Australian Gold SPF 15 Lotion Bronzer SPF 15 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/australian-gold-spf-15-lotion-bronzer/)[ Australian Gold SPF 30 Lotion Bronzer SPF 30 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/australian-gold-spf-30-lotion-bronzer/)[ Australian Gold SPF 30 Sport Ultra Chill Lotion SPF 30 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/australian-gold-spf-30-sport-ultra-chill-lotion/)[ Australian Gold Little Joey SPF 50 Lotion SPF 50 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/australian-gold-little-joey-spf-50-lotion/)[ Aveeno Kids Continuous Protection Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 SPF 50 · stick · Mineral Allowed in all 9 places we track ](https://reeflabel.com/products/aveeno-kids-continuous-protection-mineral-sunscreen-stick-spf-50/)[ Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Face Moisturizer SPF 30 (earlier formula)Discontinued SPF 30 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Not allowed: Hawaii, Maui County +7 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/aveeno-positively-radiant-daily-face-moisturizer-spf-30-earlier-formula/)[ Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15 (earlier formula)Discontinued SPF 15 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 1 of 9 placesNot allowed: Hawaii, Maui County +6 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/aveeno-positively-radiant-daily-moisturizer-spf-15-earlier-formula/)[ Aveeno Positively Mineral Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Stick SPF 50Discontinued SPF 50 · stick · Mineral Allowed in all 9 places we track ](https://reeflabel.com/products/aveeno-positively-mineral-sensitive-skin-sunscreen-stick-spf-50/)[ Banana Boat Sport Ultra Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100 SPF 100 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Not allowed: Hawaii, Maui County +7 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/banana-boat-sport-ultra-sunscreen-lotion-spf-100/) [See all 56 products that list polyethylene →](https://reeflabel.com/products/?q=polyethylene) **Related ingredients:** [Nanoparticles (nano-sized minerals)](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/nanoparticles/), [Titanium Dioxide](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/titanium-dioxide/), [Zinc Oxide](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/zinc-oxide/) Last reviewed October 14, 2026. ### Label names we match - polyethylene - polypropylene - nylon-12 - nylon-6 - polymethyl methacrylate - polystyrene - microbeads ### Regulatory status **Wikidata:** [Q6839919](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6839919) **US FDA:** Rinse-off plastic microbeads banned in the US (Microbead-Free Waters Act, 2015). **EU:** Intentionally added microplastics restricted (2023).