If you look closely, you see them almost everywhere. In make-up, on clothes, on party supplies, on Christmas decorations and we could go on and on. We are talking about glitter! What is glitter actually made of? What are its effects on our planet? And is there any such thing as sustainable glitter? At thegreenlist.nl we went to investigate.
What are glitters made of?
It looks so festive, but what is glitter actually made of? Glitter is usually made from small pieces of plastic such as polyester or PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Sometimes metal, such as aluminium, is also added. Glitter can be all kinds of colours, shapes and sizes. There are larger glitters, but mostly they are tiny particles. So glitters are really nothing but microplastics. When these end up in nature, they do not decompose. Even if you wash glitter off your skin neatly, chances are it will still end up in nature. Or if you put clothes with glitter in the washing machine, they end up in the sewer via your drain, which is unable to filter out all these microplastics. So eventually, the glitter ends up in our water, in our food chain and eventually in our bodies - a nasty idea. Very small glitter particles can even be inhaled and end up in your lungs. Not a nice idea. Science is not yet clear on what exactly the consequences of this are for our health, but concerns are growing.
Is there any durable glitter?
OK, so glitter is anything but good for the environment. Manufacturers are slowly coming to realise this too. That is why more and more ‘bio-glitter’ is coming on the market with names like ‘eco-glitter’, ‘biodegradable’ or ‘100% plastic-free’. This so-called ‘eco-glitter’ is supposed to be a lot better, but unfortunately, there is not much shine to it either. We put it in inverted commas for a reason... The TV programme Keuringsdienst van Waarde examined six ‘bio-glitters’ whose packaging said they were biodegradable. And what did it turn out? All these glitters still contained ordinary plastic! Only a small part of the contents consisted of biodegradable materials such as paper or cellulose, but there was still a layer of plastic on top for glitter. And plastic does not decompose. Do you come across glitter somewhere that makes you think: this one really looks better? Then check the ingredients list. With the app Beat the Microbead you can quickly scan contents - you take a picture of the label and the app does the work - to find out whether or not it contains plastic. Better or not, we still think it's wiser to avoid glitter altogether, as other scientific research concludes that both regular glitter and bio-glitter are a dull affair (conclusion: both are bad for the ecosystem).
Even glitter where the packaging says ‘biodegradable’ or 100% plastic-free’ often still contains partial plastic. So always check the ingredients with the app Beat the Microbead. During our search, we got a cool tip: Project Glitter Makes glitter from natural materials without microplastics.
EU bans glitter
Since October 2023, there has been a ban in the EU on the sale of loose glitter and plastic granules up to five millimetres. There will also be bans on other products with loose microplastics added, such as cosmetics, party supplies and Christmas decorations, in the coming years (until 2035). This is good news, except that it may be some time before glitter actually disappears from shelves. After all, shops are still allowed to sell their stocks. Hence, you won't notice much of it at the moment. The so-called biodegradable or soluble glitters - you know, those that also still contain plastic - will still be allowed (for now). So the ban is a step in the right direction, but for now those little glitters are still peeping through everything.
Sources: KVK, European Commission
Mica as a sustainable alternative to glitter?
When you think of glitter, you also quickly think of mica. Mica is a natural mineral derived from stones, often ground into powder. Because mica is naturally shiny, it is liked to be used in cosmetics, but also in other shiny products such as paint and car paint. So have we finally found a natural alternative to glitter? While mica is indeed a natural mineral, unfortunately it also has a downside: extracting the mineral is anything but shiny by nasty practices such as labour exploitation and child labour. So mica is usually not a pretty choice either, unless you are sure it has been mined responsibly. You can read more about mica here.
First aid for glitter
The less glitter, the better. Check. But when you pull the Christmas stuff out of the attic again or see the kids coming from parties sometimes, you must be thinking: how so! Glitter is still everywhere! What's the best thing to do if you find a glitter bomb in your home? Make sure it doesn't end up in nature. Keep items with glitter inside. Wash clothes with glitter as little as possible. And if you have glitter on your skin, remove it with a cloth and throw the cloth in the trash immediately. If you wash off glitter with water, it will eventually end up in nature via the drain. And so we should definitely try to avoid that.
More sustainable tips from thegreenlist.nl
- Since sequins are big shimmers, they do not belong to microplastics. Are sequins less bad for the environment?
- With personal care products, too, there are often misleading terms on the packaging: read here why the claim ‘natural’ doesn't always mean anything.
- And what about face paint? We went in search of eco-friendly make-up.
- Besides microplastics, PFAS are also a burden on our environment. Read all about this ‘forever chemicals’.
Sources: Keuringsdienst van Waarde, Plastic Soup Foundation, Climate Chain, National Geographic, it may well. Photo credits: main image: Cottonbro (Pexels), glitter pots: Andersonguerra (Pexels).
