What is it?
Pumice is a light, porous volcanic rock. It forms when lava full of air pockets cools very quickly, leaving a glassy rock riddled with tiny holes. The EU describes it as consisting chiefly of complex silicates of aluminum and alkali metals. Ground into a powder, pumice is used as an abrasive in cosmetic exfoliants, heavy-duty hand cleaners, toothpastes and pencil erasers. In cosmetics it can also add bulk and adjust thickness.
Key information
- Pumice is volcanic glass, made chiefly of complex silicates of aluminum and alkali metals, used as a scrubbing agent.
- We found no safety assessment of pumice by CIR or the EU's SCCS; the EU places no restrictions on it in cosmetics.
- The known health risk is from breathing large amounts of pumice dust over years, as quarry workers have.
- As with any scrub, over-exfoliating can leave skin red and irritated.
More information
According to a U.S. Geological Survey scientist, pumice is an extrusive volcanic rock formed by the rapid cooling of lava filled with air pockets, which gives it low density and high porosity. It is used extensively in abrasive products, including pencil erasers, toothpastes, heavy-duty hand cleaners and cosmetic exfoliants for removing dead skin. The EU lists pumice as an abrasive, bulking and viscosity-controlling ingredient, with no restrictions and no opinion from its Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety. We found no safety assessment by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) either.
The main health question for any mineral powder is breathing the dust. Researchers who followed 36 workers from pumice quarries on the Italian island of Lipari found patterns of lung and pleural damage on CT scans that depended on how long and how heavily they had been exposed, a disease called liparitosis. The researchers describe pumice as a non-fibrous, amorphous silicate free of quartz contamination. That risk comes from years of heavy dust exposure at work. Pumice mixed into a soap, paste or cream is not airborne, though loose pumice powder is still best not breathed in.
On the skin, pumice is a physical exfoliant, and the practical risk is irritation from scrubbing too hard or too often. The American Academy of Dermatology advises people with dry, sensitive or acne-prone skin to skip scrubs, recommends applying scrubs gently in small circles for about 30 seconds, and warns never to exfoliate cut or sunburned skin. On labels, look for Pumice.
Sources: European Commission CosIng: Pumice; EARTH Magazine (2015): Mineral Resource of the Month: Pumice and Pumicite; Radiologia Medica (2016): CT patterns of pleuro-pulmonary damage caused by inhalation of pumice; American Academy of Dermatology: How to safely exfoliate at home
