Microplastics in Your Shower Water: What You're Absorbing Through Your Skin

You filter your drinking water. But what about the water hitting your skin for 10 minutes every morning?

New research shows microplastics aren't just in your food and bottled water — they're in your shower water too. And your skin is absorbing them.

Your Skin Is Not a Barrier

Most people assume skin blocks everything. It doesn't.

Your skin is your largest organ — and it's permeable. Studies show that chemicals and particles in water can penetrate the skin, especially when pores are open from hot water and steam.

A study published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found that dermal absorption (skin absorption) accounts for a significant portion of daily chemical exposure — sometimes exceeding ingestion.

When you shower in hot water for 10-15 minutes, your pores open. Whatever is in that water has direct access to your bloodstream.

Microplastics Are in Tap Water

Researchers at the State University of New York tested tap water from more than a dozen countries. They found microplastics in 83% of samples.

A separate study published in Water Research found microplastic particles in treated municipal water supplies — meaning filtration plants aren't fully removing them.

These particles are small — some less than 10 microns. For reference, a human hair is about 70 microns. You can't see them. You can't smell them. But they're there.

What Happens When Microplastics Enter Your Body?

Research is still emerging, but scientists are concerned about:

• Inflammation — Microplastics can trigger immune responses
• Hormone disruption — Plastics carry endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA and phthalates
• Cellular damage — Studies show microplastics can penetrate cell walls
• Accumulation — The body struggles to eliminate plastic particles

A 2022 study in Environment International detected microplastics in human blood for the first time. Researchers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam found plastic particles in 80% of participants tested.

Your Shower Is a Daily Dose

Consider the math:

• Average shower: 10 minutes
• Average water use: 17 gallons
• Exposed skin surface: entire body
• Pores: wide open from heat and steam
• Frequency: daily

That's 365 exposures per year. Over a decade, that's thousands of showers — each one delivering microplastics directly to your skin.

What Can You Do?

The most effective solution is filtration at the point of use — your shower head.

But not all filters are equal. Most shower filters use plastic-based cartridges that can actually shed microplastics into hot water. That defeats the purpose.

The key is carbon block filtration. Activated carbon has been used in municipal water treatment for decades because of its ability to trap microscopic particles — including microplastics down to 5 microns.

When we founded Innovative Technology Products Corp. in 2017, this was the problem we set out to solve. Our team of engineers and scientists was frustrated with the options on the market — plastic cartridges that made the problem worse, not better.

So we built a 12-layer coconut shell carbon block shower filter. No plastic in the filtration path. The same technology used in water treatment plants — now available for your shower.

It's not about selling you something. It's about giving you information the industry doesn't want you to know — and offering a solution that actually works.

Learn more at itpcinc.com

References

Kosuth M, et al. "Anthropogenic contamination of tap water, beer, and sea salt." PLOS ONE, 2018.

Pivokonsky M, et al. "Occurrence of microplastics in raw and treated drinking water." Water Research, 2018.

Leslie HA, et al. "Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood." Environment International, 2022.

Weschler CJ, Nazaroff WW. "Dermal uptake of organic vapors commonly found in indoor air." Environmental Science & Technology, 2014.

Hernandez LM, et al. "Plastic teabags release billions of microparticles and nanoparticles into tea." Environmental Science & Technology,