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In the past few years, some considerable innovations have taken place in the field of green beauty. Not only do we have access to numerous options for clean and non-toxic skin care, hair care and cosmetics, but we also see brands shift their focus to creating truly sustainable products and packaging, whether they are recyclable, refillable or recyclable Biodegradable.

Despite these advances, there still seems to be one ingredient in beauty ingredients, even though it is one of the most environmentally damaging ingredients: glitter. Glitter is mainly used in cosmetics and nail polish. It has also become a popular ingredient in our bath products, sunscreens and body care, which means that it will eventually enter our waterways and treat us as it rushes into the drain. The planet caused severe damage.

Fortunately, there are some environmentally friendly alternatives. Although we may not have any holiday parties or music festivals in the foreseeable future, now is a good time to switch from plastic flash materials. Below, you will find a responsible flash guide (sometimes complicated).

Up to now, we are fully aware of the global pollution crisis and the harmful effects of plastics in the ocean. Unfortunately, the glitter found in common beauty and personal care products is the culprit.
“Traditional glitter is essentially a microplastic, known for its harmful effects on the environment. It is an incredibly small plastic,” the founder of Aether Beauty and former head of Sephora’s sustainability research and development department Tiila Abbitt said. “When these fine particles are found in cosmetics, they are destined to flow down our sewers, easily pass through each filtration system, and finally enter our waterways and ocean systems, thereby exacerbating the growing problem of microplastics pollution. .”

And it doesn’t stop there. “It takes thousands of years to decompose and decompose these microplastics. They are mistaken for food and eaten by fish, birds and plankton, destroying their livers, affecting their behavior, and ultimately leading to death. .” Abitt said.

That said, it is critical for brands to remove plastic-based glitter from their formulations and move to more sustainable options. Enter the biodegradable flash.

As consumers’ demand for sustainability and aesthetics continues to grow, brands are turning to greener ingredients to make their products more glamorous. According to Aubri Thompson, the clean beauty chemist and founder of Rebrand Skincare, there are two types of “eco-friendly” glitter in use today: plant-based and mineral-based. She said: “Plant-based flashes are derived from cellulose or other renewable raw materials, and then they can be dyed or coated to produce colorful effects.” “Mineral-based flashes come from mica minerals. They have It is iridescent. These can be mined or synthesized in the laboratory.”

However, these traditional flashing alternatives are not necessarily good for the planet, and each alternative has its own complexity.

Mica is one of the most widely used mineral choices, and the industry behind it is rather dark. Thompson said that although it is, it is a natural material that does not cause the microplasticity of the earth, but the mining process behind it is an energy-intensive process with a long history of unethical behavior, including child labor. This is why brands like Aether and Lush start to use synthetic mica or synthetic fluorophlogopite. This laboratory-made material is considered safe by the cosmetic ingredient review expert panel, and is purer and brighter than natural mica, so it is becoming more and more popular.

If the brand uses natural mica, look for (or ask!) to confirm its ethical supply chain. Both Aether and Beautycounter promise to source responsible mica when using natural ingredients, and the latter is actively working to create positive changes in the mica industry. There are also other ethical mineral source options, such as sodium calcium borosilicate and calcium aluminum borosilicate, which are made of small, eye-safe borosilicate glass flakes with a mineral coating and are made of Brands such as Rituel de Fille are used in cosmetics.

When it comes to plant-based glitter, plants are commonly used in “biodegradable” bulk glitter and gel products today, and this situation becomes more complicated. Its cellulose is usually derived from hardwood trees such as eucalyptus, but, as Thompson explained, only some of these products are actually biodegradable. Many plastics still contain a small amount of plastic, usually added as a color and gloss coating, and must be industrially composted to completely decompose.

When it comes to biodegradable glitter, green cleaning or deceptive marketing is common among beauty brands and manufacturers to make products look more environmentally friendly than they actually are. “Actually, this is a huge problem in our industry,” said Rebecca Richards, chief communications officer of (actually) the biodegradable flash brand BioGlitz. “We met manufacturers who falsely claimed to make biodegradable glitter, but in fact they made glitter that was industrially compostable. This is not a solution because we know that glitter powder will almost never enter the industry Compost field.”

Although “compostable” sounds like a good choice at first, it requires the wearer to collect all used product spots and then ship them out-something ordinary flash fans cannot do. In addition, as Abbitt pointed out, the composting process will take more than nine months, and it is almost impossible to find a facility that can compost anything during this time.

“We have also heard of some companies claiming to sell real biodegradable glitter materials, but mixing them with plastic glitter materials to reduce costs, and companies that train their employees to describe their glitter materials as “degradable” materials. Deliberately confuse customers who may not be aware of “All plastic is degradable, which means it will break down into smaller pieces of plastic. “Richards added.

After getting in touch with the stories of many brands, I was surprised to find that the most popular choice actually contains a small amount of plastic and only ranks first in the “best biodegradable glitter product” list, but these plastics Very rarely sold. Disguised as biodegradable, some even disguised as products without plastic.

However, the brand is not always wrong. Thompson said: “In many cases, this is due to lack of information rather than maliciousness.” “Brands pass information to their customers, but brands usually cannot see the origin and processing of raw materials. This is a problem for the entire industry until the brand It can only be solved when suppliers are required to provide complete transparency. As consumers, the best we can do is to look for certification and email brands for more information.”

One brand you can trust to biodegrade itself is BioGlitz. Its brilliance comes from the manufacturer Bioglitter. According to Richards, this brand is currently the only biodegradable glitter in the world. The sustainably harvested eucalyptus cellulose is pressed into a film, dyed with natural cosmetic pigments, and then precisely cut into various particle sizes. Other popular plant-based glitter brands that are completely biodegradable (although it is not clear whether to use Bioglitter) include EcoStardust and Sunshine & Sparkle.

So when it comes to all flash alternatives, which option is the best? Richards emphasized: “When considering sustainable solutions, the most important thing is to look at the entire production process, not just the final result.” With this in mind, please be transparent about your own practices and be able to confirm that their products are available. Shop there for biodegradable brands. In a world where it is easy to pursue brand responsibility through social media, we must speak up about our worries and demands. “Although it is a difficult task to figure out which products are actually harmless to our planet, rather than just claiming products that are not for marketing purposes, we urge all curious and caring consumers to go deeper Study the companies they support, ask questions, and never trust sustainability claims on the surface.”

In the final analysis, the most important thing is that as consumers, we no longer use traditional plastic flashing materials, and we must also pay attention to the number of products we usually buy. Thompson said: “I think the best way is to ask yourself which products really need to contain glitter and shimmer.” “Of course, there are some products that would not be the same without it! But reducing consumption is any aspect of our lives. The most sustainable development that can be achieved.”

Below, our favorite sustainable spark product that you can trust is a better and smarter choice for our planet.

If you want to rejuvenate your ecology but feel indecisive, BioGlitz’s Explorer Pack can meet your requirements. This set contains five bottles of plastic-free eucalyptus cellulose glitter in different colors and sizes, which is perfect for use anywhere on the skin. Just stick to the brand’s algae-based Glitz Glu or other foundation of your choice. The possibilities are endless!

Rituel de Fille, a cleansing cosmetics brand, has never used plastic-based glitter in its otherworldly candies, instead choosing a mineral-based shimmer derived from eye-safe borosilicate glass and synthetic mica. The wonderful iridescent sky globe soot can be used to add sparks of discoloration to any part of the face (not only the eyes).

Since 2017, UK-based EcoStardust has been producing whimsical plant-based cellulose-based glitter blends, which are derived from sustainably grown eucalyptus trees. Its latest series, Pure and Opal, do not contain 100% plastic, and have been tested to be completely biodegradable in fresh water, which is the most difficult to biodegrade environment. Although its older products contain only 92% plastic, they can still be highly (though not completely) biodegradable in the natural environment.

For those who want to be a little flashy without overuse, please consider this subtle sparkling and generally flattering lip gloss from Beautycounter. The brand not only finds responsible mica from plastic-based glittering materials for all its products, but also actively strives to make the mica industry a more transparent and ethical space.

Even if you don’t like sparkling, you can relax in the sparkling bathtub. Of course, just like our sink, our bathtub basically returns directly to the waterway, so it is important to keep in mind the type of product we use to soak for a day. Lush gives the product the gloss of synthetic mica and borosilicate instead of the glitter of natural mica and plastic gloss, so you can breathe easily because you know that the bath time is not only environmentally friendly, but also ethical.

Looking for sleek glitter, not dwarf glitter? Aether Beauty’s Supernova highlighter is impeccable. The pen uses ethical mica and broken yellow diamonds to emit a worldly golden light.

Finally, something that makes sunscreen application fun! This waterproof SPF 30+ sunscreen is infused with nourishing botanicals, antioxidants and a healthy dose of glitter instead of plastic. The brand has confirmed that its glitter is 100% biodegradable, derived from lignocellulose, and has been independently tested for degradability in fresh water, salt water, and soil, so it feels good when placed in a beach bag .

If you want to get your nails ready for vacation, consider using a new vacation kit from the clean nail care brand Nailtopia. As the brand has confirmed, all glitter used in these limited edition colors are 100% biodegradable and does not contain any plastic. Hope these shimmering shadows become a permanent feature in the brand’s lineup.