Ingredient deep-dive

Polystyrene: Is It a Microplastic?

High concernMicroplastic polymer

Plastic polymer occasionally used as opacifier or microbead.

Reading this off a container, not a label? This page covers Polystyrene as a cosmetics ingredient. For Polystyrene as the material a bottle, tub or bag is made from — what makes it shed and what to switch to — go to the material page.

Where it appears

Opacifier in lotions
Filler in pressed powders
Rare ingredient, most common in packaging

Regulatory status (2026)

European Union

Restricted under EU 2023/2055.

United States

No federal cosmetic restriction.

Cleaner alternatives

Silica
Titanium dioxide as opacifier

Use the app

Scan any product for Polystyrene in 5 seconds

The MicroPlastics iOS app flags this ingredient and 24 others instantly. Paste a label into the free web ingredient checker first if you want a no-install scan.

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Polystyrene, common questions

Is Polystyrene a microplastic?

Yes. Plastic polymer occasionally used as opacifier or microbead.

Is Polystyrene banned?

EU: Restricted under EU 2023/2055. US: No federal cosmetic restriction.

What can I use instead of Polystyrene?

Cleaner alternatives include: Silica; Titanium dioxide as opacifier.

What products contain Polystyrene?

Commonly found in: Opacifier in lotions; Filler in pressed powders; Rare ingredient, most common in packaging.