Glitter, you usually love it or you hate it. It's one of those festive accents that can bring a pop of shine or pizazz to any greeting card, accessory, or cosmetic, but also tends to get everywhere. You know what happens when you dump glitter! You can find the remnants for months. Or, in the case of makeup and nail products, glitter can be a challenge to remove. All of that aside, there’s an even bigger problem with glitter…the environment!
Across Europe, several beauty brands have banned glitter from their holiday products due to environmental concerns. Glitter is simply a microplastic, made up of tiny pieces of aluminum and plastic to give it the texture and the shine. Microplastics in general are harmful for the earth, but glitter becomes especially harmful because it’s sold freely as particles, rather than mixed into other solid compounds (like a plastic bottle).
Just how bad are microplastics? Well…
- Airborne microplastics come down in rain, disturbing otherwise unaffected habitats.
- Over 30,000 pounds of microplastics are embedded into the sea floor.
- Glitter has been found in cores of Artic ice.
- Whale bellies and other sea wildlife have microplastics in their stomachs.
- Even humans have microplastics in their stomachs! They’re estimated to eat a credit card’s worth of microplastic a week.
I’m sure this seems startling, but fortunately, there are ways to get your glitter fix and feel good about doing it. At Taylor Made Cosmetics, we care about bringing you clean beauty, and that means clean for the environment as well. That’s why we use all biodegradable glitters in our products.
Pioneering scientists have been producing biodegradable glitters that are plastic free, yet durable and shiny. The best part of these glitters is that they break down in a matter of months, rather than sticking around in the environment for years. They break down with the help of micro-organisms, harming no one in the process and reducing pollution. This is a win for beauty and the environment!
Since these eco-friendly options exist, we’re excited to offer you glitter add-ons to your #makeyourown polish experience. With glitter bonus kits, you can boost the sparkle of any polish, creating a dazzling and festive spin on your favorite shades. As with all of our Make Your Own Polish experiences, the level of glitter can be customized to your personal tastes.
Now that you can feel good about glitter, we wanted to provide you with a few final tips for wearing your glitter masterpiece! Chunky glitter looks will provide you with a disco ball effect, but they are more challenging to remove. Alternatively, a smaller glitter particle at a lower concentration (think an eye-catching sparkle not a pure sea of glitter) will come off easier, and may be more professional and office ready.
The impact our beauty products make on the environment does not go unfelt. Glitter and microplastic pollution are already seen at steady rates, but we have the power to use eco-friendly technology to reduce this in the future, all while allowing you to embrace your own love of glitter. With the Make Your Own experience, you can also count on making a future you’re proud about!
Stay sparkly!
