Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to keep the sparkle in your eyeshadow — the plastic kind, for now.
On Saturday, he vetoed a bill by a local lawmaker that would have prohibited the sale of plastic glitter and plastic microbeads in nonrinse-off personal care products, such as makeup and sunscreen, by 2030.
Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, D-Encinitas, introduced Assembly Bill 823. In an interview Wednesday, she said she was disappointed with the governor’s decision.
“AB 823 would have ensured that California was doing its best to protect its people and the environment, and most importantly, those most vulnerable,” she said. “And from the research, we know that’s women and children.”
Plastic glitter and microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic that are deliberately added to household cleaners and cosmetics to serve as exfoliators or filler material, or to add some sparkle. But they don’t break down easily and can end up in drinking water supplies, food sources and human tissue.
In a memo to lawmakers, Newsom said that he supported efforts to protect the state’s “waterways, ecosystems and public health from the real and significant harms caused by the prevalence of microplastics in our environment.”
But, he added, the bill’s approach “may incidentally result in a prohibition on biodegradable or natural alternatives.”
The Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, one of AB 823’s sponsors, said in a statement Tuesday that the “bill is not to prohibit biodegradable or natural materials, but to phase out a specific class of persistent synthetic microplastics.”
“The Governor’s veto should not rest on a vague hypothetical,” the advocacy organization said.
Boerner’s proposal would have expanded on existing state law that already prohibits the sale of plastic microbeads in rinse-off goods, including face scrubs and shampoos.
An earlier version of the bill received opposition from some industry groups, arguing that the law would ban a significant number of cosmetics and cleaning products without first allowing businesses to innovate alternatives. Groups successfully requested that nonabrasive microbeads in products be excluded from the bill.
These kinds of laws have been driven by the availability of clean alternatives to plastic ingredients already in the market.
Boerner says she will regroup with sponsors to see if there’s a better time for the bill.
