On December 28, 2015, President Obama signed into law the "Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015" (H.R. 1321), prohibiting the manufacture of rinse-off cosmetic products and nonprescription drugs containing intentionally added plastic microbeads as of July 1, 2017, and July 1, 2018, respectively. Additionally, introduction into interstate commerce is prohibited as of July 1, 2018, for all cosmetics containing microbeads (even if not intentionally added) and as of July 1, 2019, for all nonprescription drugs containing microbeads. Plastic microbeads are solid plastic particles that are less than five millimeters in size and used in toothpastes, soaps, and body wash products intended to exfoliate or cleanse the body. The tiny size of microbeads prevents them from being filtered by water plants, potentially resulting in the contamination of lakes and rivers, and the ingestion of plastic microbeads by fish and wildlife. Some states, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, had already approved similar bills to protect their waters and wildlife. Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, the District of Columbia, and New York also introduced bills to prohibit the use of microbeads in cosmetics and in over-the-counter products. The Microbead-Free Waters Act preempts any state law that prohibits the manufacture and sale of cosmetic products containing microbeads.
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