Polyethylene in facial scrubs as a source of microplastic marine pollution is gaining momentum in research and in the public eye. By characterizing the physical properties of microplastic beads found in a sample of products, I found little variation in sizes and colors across brands. This suggests that producers may have a uniform standard. The bead sizes in the products l sampled were all small enough to bypass filtration in certain wastewater treatment facilities. From my survey, I discovered that though the majority of the study population did use a facial scrub, they were not aware that many contained plastic particles. Laboratory studies have shown that suspension-feeding sea cucumbers along with range of organisms including mussels, barnacles lugworms, and tiny crustaceans do ingest plastic particles, though it is unknown if plastic ingestion adversely affects their physiologyorfitness (Graham and Thompson, 2009). These species serve as the foundation of an intricate food chain, which humans play a huge part in. New re- search also suggests that polyethylene is an excellent transporter of hydrophobic organic contaminants such as phenanthrene, a byproduct of fossil fuel burning that is a dangerous ocean pollutant (Teuten et al. 2007)