Gentle Facial Exfoliant contains jojoba wax beads, which are tiny, perfectly round spheres derived from the jojoba plant. We preferjojoba beadsto other natural exfoliating agents such as apricot kernel or nut shell, whose irregular shaped edges can scratch and irritate the skin. BothGentle Facial Exfoliant and Active Enzyme Cleansing Cream are listed in Flora and Fauna International'sGood Scrub Guide, which identifies exfoliants that don't contribute to plastic microbead pollution.