An old saying goes "Even dirt glitters when the sun shines upon it". Well we're here this Fall season, with Halloween among us, to tell you that even though dirt may glitter in just the right light, glitter itself is super harmful to the environment.
There are so many amazing things to be for Halloween and so many ways to shine and stand out. Even still; it's hard not to be in awe of some of the beauty influencers faces on Instagram after they spent hours making sure every speck is in it's place. Scientists have found evidence that glitter used in cosmetics and body paint may harm rivers, lakes, and oceans since it's core is essentially a micro plastic and it's getting washed down the drain.
We’ve known for years that microplastics are problematic, but new studies keep emphasizing just how much of an impact they are having on the environment. One study from June 2020 found microplastics can become airborne and come down in rain – literally rain down – on protected natural areas we expect would be pristine. Researchers from Australia’s national science agency found that 9.25m to 15.87m tons of microplastics are embedded in the seafloor. They’ve been found in core samples from Arctic ice, and in the bellies of whales. Humans are estimated to ingest about five grams of them (the equivalent of a credit card) every week.
So in a perfect world not buying plastic at all would be the best alternative but in the ever-growing beauty industry, finding alternatives and wanting to stay relevant and feel beautiful at the same time, we know that is just not sustainable. Sustainability to it's core is a practice of small movements in the right direction. Should you go throw out every single glitter you've ever bought, probably not because then it's all going to the landfill anyways and that bottle it comes in might be recyclable. The idea here is to empower our subscribers and members to make better choices moving forward.
Here are two ways you can dispose of glitter:
1. Use a compostable wipe and toss it in the bin, or in the compost. We recommend not using a towel because that goes in the washer which would bring micro plastics to the waterways again.
2. Try if you can to find eco-friendly glitter that does not have a plastic base. Labels should say biodegradable.
Remember that "All that glitters is not gold" and we wish all our members a happy, safe, and eco-friendly Fall season and Halloween.
For more info on plastic free beauty visit out home page.