Sarah Al Shammari, Kuwaiti-American Dubai resident, 28
“I have heard that microbeads found in health-care products are damaging to the water supply when they go down the drain. I then checked all my products and realised that one of them, a face wash I have been using for years, has microbeads, so I stopped using it. I strongly believe that companies are responsible for telling us what is in their products, and they need to do a better job of getting rid of these harmful ingredients. Consumers obviously would not know unless they manually check every ingredient in every product they use, and the average person doesn’t have a science degree and will not understand what they are looking for. There needs to be more transparency with the kind of products companies are putting in the market.”
Anum Tarek, Pakistani Abu Dhabi resident, 26
“I use one product — a face wash that contains microbeads. Before I was approached with this question by Gulf News, I was not aware of how harmful microbeads are to the environment. Now that this topic has been brought to my attention, and I have an idea of how damaging and toxic they are for the environment, I’ll stop using the product or will not buy any products in the future that may contain those beads. I think there should be awareness campaigns like newspaper ads/internet pop ups that spread the word just like there are for smoking/drinking and driving.”
Albert Maquiling, 31, Filipino engineer
“I am not sure about the number of products we have but I know that our laundry powder, facial wash, and toothpaste have small beads that can be categorised as microbeads. I was not aware that they are harmful to the environment. Practically speaking, I will opt to buy products that are within my budget whether they have microbeads or not. The ingredients or composition of a certain product aren’t my main consideration when I buy; I hardly even read the label. This is the most common human reaction. So, if our budget is tight, it will come to a point that I may choose a cheaper product even if it has microbeads. But, hearing this, I’ll exert extra effort to look for a similar product that’s still within my budget but doesn’t have harmful ingredients next time. As a consumer, I have zero knowledge on the impact of ingredients in the products I buy. Maybe they’re on the shelf because they passed the UAE standards. But then again, if they are harmful to the environment, perhaps the government needs to recheck the products, conduct proper research, and take them off the shelves if proven harmful.”
Anisha Sharma, university student, 23
“I use one product with microbeads, that is my daily face cream. I have just learnt about the negative impact that they have on the environment, I believe that the environment needs to become our priority and everyone needs to play their part in order to actually make a difference. There is definitely not enough awareness about this topic. I am sure I am one of many who have just heard about the effects of microbeads. People have nowadays become more environmentally conscious and they need to be aware of the environmental consequences of these products. I think it should be the responsibility of both the manufacturer of these plastic microbeads and the brands of the health-care products who utilise them. It should, more importantly, be the responsibility of the government, as water supply shortages are expected to occur all over the world.”
Venicia D’mello, Account Manager, Dubai resident
“I could be using products like eyeliner, toothpaste and others which contain microbeads. Now that this has been pointed out, people would be more concerned and actually look at labels before buying such products. I, for one, will definitely be more conscious of the products I buy. There is not enough awareness about the damaging impact of micro beads on our environment. The environment needs to be protected and it should be the responsibility of everyone, not just the government and concerned bodies to take up the cause. Making one aware of the damaging impact on our environment should be an authoritative body such as an environmental organisation. Personally I think it would be difficult for the manufacturer to mention or champion this cause as it would bite into their sales figures. More products should be produced/manufactured using less harmful ingredients. Change requires personal choice plus action. The message could also be about using homemade products for exfoliating, which can be found in our kitchen cupboards instead of buying them off the shelf.”
