Ingredient deep-dive
Polystyrene: Is It a Microplastic?
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.
Download on the App StorePolystyrene, common questions
Is Polystyrene a microplastic?
Is Polystyrene banned?
What can I use instead of Polystyrene?
What products contain Polystyrene?
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