Glitter is in hundreds of objects and products. Everything from Christmas decorations to makeup to nail polish is sprinkled with colorful glitter. It can be fascinating if we see her in an episode of Euphoria, standing out with neon lights in the background. But in reality there is another, sadder story behind it. Not only does it easily adhere to any surface, including our skin and clothing, but unfortunately it also reaches everywhere: the environment, rivers and seas, clouds, our lungs.
Glitter is actually a deadly microplastic. And its footprint is much larger than we imagined.
What is glitter actually? A mixture of several things: microplastics, cellulose, mica or glass. It can be easily colored and cheaply chemically treated to make it shine. Kind of like the microplastic beads that many countries have banned from scrubs and toothpaste (how shiny it looked… and how dangerous) in an effort to curb pollution. Basically because it contains tiny and imperceptible plastic particles, but above all, non-biodegradable. Plastic goes down the drain and never goes away.
There are no figures on the amount of glitter that is used annually in the world, but knowing that a single Christmas parade easily uses 70 kilos of it, we can get an idea of why it is something alarming.
Microplastics, that big problem. Hundreds of studies have been emphasizing the impact they have on the environment for years. One from 2020 suggested that microplastics can fly and collect in clouds. And, literally, rain, in protected natural areas. In other research, Australia’s national science agency found that between 9.25 and 15.87 million tonnes of microplastics are deposited on the seabed. They have been found in Arctic glaciers and in the belly of whales. Even humans ingest 5 grams every week.
Glitter vs environment. A recent study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials concluded that glitter damages the ecology of rivers and lakes. “After just one use, thousands of tiny specks can pass into the water or soil and accumulate in the environment. Those glitter specks will remain intact for centuries,” said Meral Yurtsever, a professor of environmental engineering at Sakarya University in Turkey, in this Allure report.
In the ocean, microplastics can be mistaken for fish eggs and ingested by marine life. These tiny particles get trapped in the stomach, causing malnutrition and weight loss. Everything is then reflected in reduced feeding rates and lower reproductive rates in some species.
also for health. An audit of more than 100 makeup products suggested that 32% contained microplastics, which appear behind as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). And what does that imply? Well, we’ve known for years that the chemicals inside plastics can have negative impacts on human health, from cancer to reproductive-related issues like sperm motility and pregnancy viability.
Solutions. Some brands have started to take action in recent years. In 2021, several British stores such as Morrisons, Waitrose and John Lewis announced that there would no longer be glitter on their Christmas products, not on cookie boxes, bags or gift wrap. In 2018, 61 music festivals banned attendees from using glitter, and cosmetics brand Lush replaced its glitter in bath products with biodegradable substitutes. Supermarkets like Aldi have also decided to remove it from the products.
Mica, a mineral that glitters, seemed like an alternative to glitter. But recently it was discovered that most of it comes from illegal Indian mines that use child labour. As a result, Lush came up with a synthetic mica that the company claims is not harmful to the environment. However, that study that we mentioned before emphasizes that both conventional or non-biodegradable PET and the alternative made from cellulose or mica continue to have a negative effect on ecosystems. The easiest solution is the one we all think: say goodbye to glitter, even if the world shines a little less.
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