5 Things to Know about Glitter

Who doesn’t love glitter? The sparkle and shine add to any costume, brightening up your day. It sparkles on your face in makeup, and can even be sprayed onto your hair for a night out at the club. It’s amazing, right? Well, perhaps not so much. In fact, there are several things you need to know about glitter that might make you see it in a new and less-sparkly light.

1. It’s Plastic

Yep, you read that correctly. Most glitter, particularly what you’ll find in cosmetic products like makeup and hairspray, is made from plastic. That means several things, including the fact that it never really goes away. It might be out of sight after you’ve tossed it out or washed it off, but it’s never truly gone. Plastic is forever, and that’s not a good thing for the planet, the animals with which we share it, or ourselves.

2. Plastic Comes from Oil

Chances are good that protecting the environment is up there on your priority list. It is for most people today. However, using products that contain plastic glitter doesn’t do a thing to help the environment, because it’s made from oil. So, every single tiny flake of glitter on your skin adds to the pollution and environmental damage created by oil drilling and refining. Still feeling all sparkly? Probably not.

3. It’s the Same as Microbeads

If you’re like most people, you recoil at the thought of using a product that contains microbeads – those tiny plastic particles designed to help exfoliate and clean your skin. However, did you know that plastic glitter is the same thing? It is – tiny plastic particles that never degrade and add to the plastic soup polluting our oceans and killing marine life.

4. It Never Goes Away

We mentioned this briefly above, but it bears repeating. Plastic glitter does not decay. It stays around pretty much forever. It just breaks down into smaller pieces of plastic, and gets into the environment in many ways, including being eaten by marine life, where it can kill if it builds up to sufficient levels. And when those animals are eaten by predators, guess what happens? The predators ingest the plastic along with their meal.

5. There Is Another Option

All is not doom and gloom. You don’t have to give up your glittery passion just yet. We’ve developed a new type of glitter – bio glitter. It’s made not from oil, but from plant cellulose. That means two things. First, it comes from a renewable resource, not from oil. Second, it’s biodegradable, so it will not add to the pollution problem. It’s just as bright and sparkly as the plastic stuff, but doesn’t threaten the planet.

Ready to make a change? Want to sparkle without feeling guilty? Learn more about our biodegradable glitter here.