Products Like This Are Now Outlawed

Adiós exfoliating shower gel.

Skin care products that contain micro-beads are now outlawed in the United States.

President Obama signed a bipartisan bill that bans the selling and distributing of products containing micro-beads.

According to the bill, a micro-bead is any solid plastic particle that's smaller than 5 millimeters and is used for the purpose of exfoliating or cleaning. They are found in hundreds of products including body scrubs and toothpastes.

The bill is intended to protect the nation’s waterways. The plastic beads do not dissolve and pose a threat to the environment. A study published last year reported that more than 8 trillion micro-beads were entering the country’s aquatic habitats every day. They say that's enough to coat 300 tennis courts each day.