I’ve been buying face scrubs that have ground apricot pits in them. They are great. Just the right amount of abrasiveness and totally biodegradeable. These have been around for decades. The microbead shit was cheaper, I suppose. And maybe some squeamish people don’t like the brown grainy appearance of apricot pit scrub.

LUSH uses almond hulls in their products, so they are fully compostable. If you want something with a scrub, check them out for sure.

Yes, most used micro plastics for a long time, charcoal and coffee grounds are a fairly new advent in the last few years.

Some used pumice (I think Lava Soap or something along those lines) but it’s more harsh than the plastic microbeads OP is referring to.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbead