Microplastics: Tiny Particles, Big Market Shakers 💸

Microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic in our environment, are increasingly causing health concerns for scientists and consumers alike.

Savvy marketers spotted these worries a mile away and have rolled out products like “healthier” water 💦 and at-home tests to ease our fears.

But do these products actually help, or are we just buying into clever marketing? 🧐

Quick context on microplastics 👇

• Microplastics come from the breakdown of larger plastic items like tires, synthetic textiles, and cosmetic products. 

• They contain chemicals like BPA, phthalates, and PFAS which can mimic human hormones and interfere with the human body’s processes like metabolism, growth, and reproduction.

• Research suggests that exposure can lead to serious health issues like neurodegenerative disease, cancers, infertility, obesity, and early puberty. 

BAD NEWS 😥 Microplastics are everywhere — they’re in our food, air, and water, and eventually make their way into our bloodstream. Scientists have even started to detect them in human breast milk and testicles. 

GOOD NEWS 😌 there are ways to reduce your exposure! And increased awareness is propelling new scientific research and product innovation.

How microplastics make their way to humans

First off, since we can’t see microplastics with the naked eye, the sources of our exposure aren’t obvious. Scientists think microplastics make their way from the environment into humans:

1. Primarily through inhalation 👃(ex: breathing in “city dust”)

2. Secondly from ingestion🥤(ex: food, water)

3. And least of all, through dermal contact 🤲 (ex: hygiene products, cosmetics, clothing, touching receipt ink)

The two most common suggestions to reduce exposure via inhalation are to vacuum regularly and use a HEPA filter.

Reducing exposure via ingestion is more nuanced given that it would require auditing everything we eat and drink, but the bulk of the microplastics we’re consuming is suspected to come from bottled water 💧

Who’s winning and losing in the microplastic panic?

WINNERS 👍️ 

• Cosmetics: “Responsible luxury” brands like Merit Beauty are part of the overall “clean beauty”💄 umbrella that’s expected to swell from a ~$9 billion to $39 billion industry by 2033.

• Fancy bottled water brands: Companies like Saratoga Spring Water, San Pellegrino, and Mountain Valley Spring Company are seeing rising demand for their glass-packaged mineral water.

• Eco-friendly household products: Brands like Bite and Blueland, both featured on Shark Tank 🦈, are generating multi-million dollar revenues💰️ from their plastic-free products like dishwasher tablets and “toothpaste bits.”

• Biomarkers testing: Longevity biohacker Bryan Johnson recently introduced his own at-home microplastics blood test.

• Home filtering appliances: Demand for water and air filters is expected to rise steadily as people seek to improve indoor air and tap water quality 🚰 

LOSERS 👎️ 

• Certain fast fashion retailers*: Shein’s profits have declined more than 70% this year, partially fueled by sustainability concerns over its synthetic textiles 👚 H&M and Zara’s brand values have also been declining for similar reasons. 

• Companies caught misleading consumers: The World Wildlife Fund 🐼 faced backlash for a debunked claim that people consume a “credit card’s worth of plastic” per week.

Who’s surprisingly not losing 🫥

• Plastic water bottle brands: Despite microplastics concerns, sales are booming, especially in areas where tap water is unreliable. Even in regions with safe tap water, incidents like the Flint water crisis have fostered distrust, pushing consumers toward bottled water.

• Fast fashion in general*: Demand for fast fashion is actually growing- mostly from consumers who value affordable prices over sustainability. However, targeted environmental campaigns have successfully dented sales of specific brands 📉

Hypothesis: Influencers drive health trends faster than medicine 🩺 

I anticipate brands doubling down on their “microplastic-safe” positioning as research uncovers more about health risks, encouraging more consumers to turn to social media for product-fixes.

We’ll see a rise in green education and social proofing 🤳, led by engaging health influencers (with varying degrees of credentials) who drive buying decisions. These influencers excel at quickly amplifying 📣 and contextualizing early health research findings.

Since it takes 17 years on average for new research to become standard clinical practice, social media influencers have a unique advantage. They can gain trust by sharing health insights early, outpacing conventional doctors who must adhere to more thorough validation processes and stricter medical ethics.

What will this look like? ➡️ If your TikTok algorithm favors wellness content like mine, you’ve probably already seen a taste of toxin-free lifestyle influencers opining on which specific water brands are best and steering the narrative on safe consumption choices.

💡 Practical Tips from Dr. Perez for Microplastics Concerns

What I’m personally doing about microplastics after this deep dive:

• Drinking tap water: Tap is my go-to at home. For outings, I usually carry a reusable bottle from Hydroflask or Lifefactory that has an easy-to-clean, wide mouth.

• Falling for the fancy water marketing: When tap isn’t available, I’ll likely spring for the glass bottled water that the TikTokers suggest. At the end of the day, I’m a sucker for marginal improvements 🥲

• Using an air filter: After smoke from wildfires drove our air quality to hazardous levels in 2023, we got a HEPA air filter from MedifyAir that still runs daily. 

• Gradually swapping out cosmetics: Since exposure through the skin appears to be the least concerning, I’ll prioritize cleaner products options as I run out.

If you were forwarded this newsletter, please subscribe here to stay up to date!

Hit reply 📩 to let me know what health, wellness, or beauty trends you’re curious about.

-Clara