While he vacationed in Hawaii, President Barack Obama signed a bill phasing out the use of plastic microbeads in cosmetic products, which harm the ocean.

Obama signed the “Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015” on Dec. 28, which amends the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to ban cosmetics that contain plastic microbeads. The law follows on the heels of a similar ban passed in October in California.

Manufacturers will no longer be able to use the microbeads in products starting July 1, 2017, with sales of such products phased out by July 1, 2018.

The microbeads, typically found in exfoliating face wash and soaps, travel down the drain — too small to be captured by wastewater treatment facilities – and end up in lakes, rivers and oceans.

The new law was hailed as a victory by environmental groups including the Surf-rider Foundation, 5 Gyres, the Center for Biological Diversity and Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii.

“We are so happy,” said Stuart Coleman, Hawaii coordinator of the Surfrider Foundation. “We couldn’t believe how fast it went through Congress. … The good news is that the federal legislation is even better than the California bill, which was the best we could hope for.”

The California ban phases out microbeads in the state starting in 2020. A bill attempting to ban the microbeads was introduced in the Hawaii Legislature last year but did not survive. The federal law covers all microbeads, including those claiming to be biodegradable.

Kahi Pacarro, executive director of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, said the ban is a step in the right direction, but he would have preferred it going into effect sooner.

“Between now and the time it does go into effect it allows microbead producers and consumers to continue to pollute without consequence,” Pacarro wrote in an email.

Researchers Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins, also founders of the 5 Gyres Institute, a nonprofit studying aquatic plastic pollution, first discovered high concentrations of the microbeads polluting the Great Lakes in 2012.

While collecting the plastic beads from the lakes by trawl, they discovered they were the same size, shape and texture as the ones found in consumer beauty products.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, a national nonprofit based in Tucson, Ariz., just one tube of exfoliating face wash could contain more than 350,000 microbeads. An estimated 2.9 trillion microbeads enter U.S. waterways each year.

Once in the marine ecosystem, the microbeads absorb toxins that are transferred to fish that mistake them for food.

Typically, the microbeads are smaller than a grain of sand and made from polyethylene, polypropylene or other types of plastic. They’re found in face soaps, body washes, some makeup and nail polish.

Companies like Johnson &Johnson and L’Oreal voluntarily agreed to phase out the use of microbeads in their products after learning of their harmful effects. Natural alternatives exist — sea salt, ground walnut shells or jojoba beans.

Perhaps President Obama already intended to sign the ban after it sailed through both the House and Senate in December, but I like to think he was inspired by the beauty of the ocean he encountered in Hawaii. The oceans surrounding the islands, which rake in debris from all sides of the Pacific, could use the help.

Nina Wu writes about environmental issues. Reach her at 529-4892 or nwu@staradvertiser.com.