AP: State Senate refuses initial vote to ban microbeads in cosmetics

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A bill in California that would ban plastic microbeads in soaps and cosmetics was refused by the state Senate, according to an Associated Press report.



The AP reported that while Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, argued that the bill would level the playing field among manufacturers — some of whom already are phasing out the exfoliating ingredients — AB1699 fell one vote short of the 21 it needed to pass.



The author, Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, stated that supporters will try again before the Legislature adjourns for the year, the AP reported.



The bill would prohibit the sale of products containing plastic microbeads starting in 2019. A Senate amendment would allow OTC drugs to contain the microbeads until 2020, the AP reported.



As previously reported by Drug Store News, a similar ban was recently signed by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, making Illinois the first state in the nation to ban the manufacture and sale of personal care products containing synthetic plastic microbeads.