UK will phase out microbeads in cosmetics by the end of 2017

The UK government has agreed to ban the sale of microbeads in beauty products, The Guardian reports. The tiny plastic beads, usually found in soaps and lotions, pose a threat to marine life once they end up in the water supply. Although some companies have already removed microbeads from their products in the UK, the government will now mandate the beads be phased out entirely by the end of 2017.
Tiny plastic, no-good beads
Scientists have noted that the beads are about the size of fis