A world without Q-tips?

This January 1st, 2018, all beauty products containing plastic microbeads were banned from sale. The next products in the firing line from France’s biodiversity law? Plastic cotton buds, or Q-tips.

Are you feeling a little distraught after hearing this news? If so, you should know that most ENT doctors advise against using cotton bud swabs as, when used incorrectly, which is often the case, they push the wax deep into the ear canal and cause irritation.

Usually, all you need to maintain good ear hygiene is a shower, you don’t need to be heavy handed at all. Apply soap all around the auricle and then wash out the ear canal with gentle pressure. If you need more cleaning, you can get sprays at the pharmacy, too.

And while the industry is likely to come up with an alternative to plastic cotton buds, this ban nevertheless offers us the chance to change our bad hygiene habits and cut down on our use of throw-away products!