Biodegradable microbeads for cosmetics

01Overview and value chain

Markers: [EC: EU REACH microplastics restriction (EU) 2023/2055 / US Microbead-Free Waters Act 2015 | OECD: Industrial biotechnology | Regulator: FDA (USA), REACH (EU), NMPA (China)]

Biodegradable microbeads for cosmetics are solid exfoliating particles of biological origin — cellulose acetate, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), konjac glucomannan and natural waxes such as jojoba and rice — sized in the 1–1000 µm microsphere range to replace polyethylene (PE) scrub beads in face and body cleansers. They are a regulatory-market, not a marketing, category: the US Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 banned plastic exfoliating beads in rinse-off cosmetics from July 2018, and the EU REACH restriction on intentionally added microplastics, (EU) 2023/2055, banned exfoliating microbeads outright when it entered force on 17 October 2023 — abrasive microbeads are the one category granted no transition period, while other microplastics in rinse-off cosmetics may still be sold until 16 October 2027. The exfoliant reformulation deadline has therefore already passed, which is why the named bead lines below are commercial rather than pilot supply. A modern biodegradable bead matches PE on roundness, hardness and suspension in the formula while disintegrating on application or in wastewater: cellulose-acetate beads come in four screen grades (e.g. 1000, 500, 300 and XLS), MCC spheres deliver actives and then break down, and glucomannan hydro-gel particles dissolve to leave no residue.

Key directions of biodegradable microbeads for cosmetics:

1. Cellulose-acetate exfoliating beads (Cellulose Acetate Bead): wood-pulp cellulose acetate spheroidised to match PE beads’ visual and mechanical feel, in multiple particle grades; Lessonia CelluloScrub is the named line (1000/500/300/XLS), a renewable, biodegradable PE-bead replacement.
2. Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) spheres (MCC Sphere): 100% MCC shells that exfoliate and carry actives or colour, then disintegrate on use; Omya Cosmospheres® and Nordic Bioproducts PURA Nordic Beauty MCC (AaltoCell® technology) are the named platforms.
3. Konjac glucomannan particles (Glucomannan Particle): konjac-derived glucomannan cast as a hydro-gel-coated exfoliating particle that is mild, clean-label and biodegradable; Nagase BIODIOS™ Scrub is the named line.
4. Natural wax and seed beads (Natural Wax/Seed Bead): hydrogenated jojoba and rice (Oryza Sativa) wax beads that round into smooth exfoliating spheres, the original botanical alternative to plastic scrub grains.

Sectoral value chain

[cellulose / glucomannan / wax] ──> [bead synthesis] ──> [sizing] ──> [formulation]
        │                                   │                          │
 (wood pulp / konjac / jojoba)   (acetate / MCC / gel / wax)   (scrub / cleanser base)
        │                                   │                          │
        ▼                                   ▼                          ▼
[biodegradable bead] <─── [surface coat] <───── [QC: biodegradability + INCI]

Value chain levels

Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:

• Cellulose-acetate spheroidising (Cellulose-Acetate Spheroidising): extrusion and rounding of wood-pulp cellulose acetate to PE-matching bead geometry.
• MCC compaction & spheronisation (MCC Spheronisation): binding microcrystalline cellulose into uniform delivery spheres with tunable hardness.
• Glucomannan hydro-gel casting (Glucomannan Gel Casting): casting konjac glucomannan into soft, dissolving exfoliating particles.

02US

The US was first to ban plastic exfoliating beads outright, so its market is the longest-established switched-over base, supplied through specialist distributors.

plastic-bead ban, distributor supply, FDA cosmetics oversight

• Microbead-Free Waters Act 2015: the federal statute banned PE exfoliating beads in rinse-off cosmetics from manufacturing in July 2017 and sale in July 2018, the first hard microbead mandate anywhere.
• Azelis US distribution: Lessonia CelluloScrub and natural exfoliators are supplied to US formulators through Azelis Personal Care US (with Glenn Corp for restricted states), bringing European cellulose-acetate beads to the US switch-over market.
• FDA cosmetics framework: FDA regulation of cosmetic ingredients and state-level restrictions (e.g. California) frame how biodegradable exfoliants evidence non-microplastic status.

03CN

China is a cellulose, konjac (魔芋) and jojoba production base — the raw materials behind biodegradable microbeads — and its cosmetics regulator has tightened on microplastics in step with the global shift.

cellulose & konjac feedstock, NMPA cosmetics oversight, fragmented supply

• Cellulose and konjac feedstock base: China’s wood-pulp cellulose and konjac-glucomannan supply underpins domestic biodegradable-bead chemistry, with jojoba cultivation in the south-west feeding natural-wax bead lines.
• NMPA cosmetics regulation: the National Medical Products Administration’s cosmetic-ingredient notification and registration framework governs how a biodegradable exfoliant enters the Chinese market.
• Fragmented specialist supply: the merchant picture for dedicated biodegradable-microbead SKUs is fragmented across cellulose and cosmetics-ingredients firms rather than concentrated in one named supplier; where a specialist row could not be confirmed live, the block stays qualitative rather than padded.

04EU

The EU is the regulatory engine of the category: the REACH microplastics restriction makes biodegradable exfoliants a compliance deadline, not a green claim, and European houses supply the replacement chemistry.

REACH microplastics ban, MCC & cellulose supply, in-cosmetics showcase

• EU (EU) 2023/2055: the REACH restriction on intentionally added microplastics entered force on 17 October 2023 and banned microbeads used as abrasives with no transition period at all — unlike the rest of rinse-off cosmetics (sellable to 16 October 2027), leave-on (2029) and make-up/lip/nail (2035). PE exfoliating beads have been off the EU market since 2023, so this is an executed ban, not a pending deadline.
• Nordic Bioproducts Group PURA Nordic Beauty MCC: Finnish MCC platform built on the AaltoCell® technology (Vitafoods Europe 2026 Innovation Award, Sustainability), marketed as a biodegradable exfoliant that can also replace talc and titanium dioxide.
• Omya Cosmospheres® & Lessonia CelluloScrub: Swiss Cosmospheres MCC delivery beads (microplastic-free, vegan, disintegrate on application) and French cellulose-acetate CelluloScrub are the named European replacement lines, showcased at in-cosmetics Global.

05Leading companies and research institutes

06Tech stack and innovations

The biodegradable-microbead stack is built on cellulose chemistry, konjac glucomannan and natural-wax spheroidising, tuned to match polyethylene bead performance.

1. Cellulose-acetate & MCC beads (Cellulose/MCC Bead):
   • wood-pulp cellulose acetate spheroidised to PE-matching roundness and hardness, and MCC compacted into delivery spheres.
   • case: Lessonia CelluloScrub (cellulose acetate, four grades) and Omya Cosmospheres® (100% MCC shells); Nordic Bioproducts PURA Nordic Beauty MCC on AaltoCell®.
2. Konjac glucomannan particles (Glucomannan Particle):
   • konjac-derived glucomannan cast as a mild, dissolving hydro-gel-coated exfoliating particle, clean-label and biodegradable.
   • case: Nagase BIODIOS™ Scrub Original and White, a glucomannan hydro-gel coated exfoliant with no synthetic polymers.
3. Natural wax and seed beads (Natural Wax/Seed Bead):
   • hydrogenated jojoba and rice (Oryza Sativa) wax rounded into smooth botanical exfoliating spheres, the original plastic-grain alternative.
   • case: Lessonia natural-wax and seed exfoliators in the Oryza Sativa wax family.

07Value chains and production pipelines

Industrial pipeline of a biodegradable microbead (OECD 301 / EU (EU) 2023/2055)

┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Cellulose/glucomannan  │ ───> │ 2. Bead synthesis         │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
                                                  │
                                                  ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 4. Surface coat & load    │ <─── │ 3. Sizing & classification│
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
               │
               ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 5. Formulation            │ ───> │ 6. QC & biodegradability  │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘

Stage 1: Cellulose/glucomannan/wax feed

Wood-pulp cellulose, konjac glucomannan and jojoba or rice wax are received as the bio-based feedstock for the exfoliating bead.

Stage 2: Bead synthesis

Cellulose acetate is extruded and spheroidised, microcrystalline cellulose is compacted and spheronised, glucomannan is cast into a hydro-gel, and wax is hydrogenated and sprayed — each producing a raw biodegradable bead.

Stage 3: Sizing & classification

The raw beads are screened to a target particle size (sub-1000 µm microsphere range) and sorted by colour and grade, e.g. CelluloScrub 1000/500/300/XLS.

Stage 4: Surface coat & load

Beads are hydro-gel coated or loaded with actives and colour (e.g. Cosmospheres colour-release beads), tuning hardness and release behaviour.

Stage 5: Formulation

The finished beads are suspended in a scrub, cleanser or mask base at the target exfoliation density, with stabilisers keeping them evenly distributed.

Stage 6: QC & biodegradability

The formulation is verified for biodegradability (OECD 301), microplastic-free status under REACH (EU) 2023/2055 and correct INCI, confirming compliance with the US Microbead-Free Waters Act and EU microplastics restriction.