Is Your Festive Makeup Damaging the Oceans? Sparkle with Sustainable Vegan Glitter

There is nothing that shouts of festive fun more than an abundance of glitter. The seduction of some serious sparkle is hard to pass up when the world is in a haze of seasonal glory, but the cost of glitter may be more than you think.

How the sparkly stuff harms the oceans

Traditionally, glitter is made by bonding two types of plastic together – so in effect glitter is actually a microplastic, which is severely detrimental to our oceans and the wildlife that inhabit them. A report in 2014 stated that there were anywhere between 15 to 51 trillion microplastic particles in the world’s seas, a number which has only been growing over the past four years.

The reason these microplastics have such a negative impact on the environment is down to curious wildlife such as birds and fish, who unknowingly eat the sparkling pieces and either starve to death, or become seriously ill from the ingestion of the harsh chemicals. This then works its way up the food chain, causing serious damage to creatures all the way down to the ocean floor.

Devastated by this news but still love the glitter look? Enter biodegradable glitter. Swapping from plastic-based glitter products means you can experiment with sparkle guilt-free, whilst sacrificing none of the festive fun. Luckily there are now more eco-friendly glitter options than ever and we have rounded up some of our favourites to see you through the festive season.

The vegan-friendly brands that sparkle sustainably

Ethical glitter brand Boho Dust was founded when founder Emma Pauw became aware of microplastic pollution and the role that regular glitter plays in it. She and her co-founder looked for a great brand of biodegradable glitter but struggled to find what they were looking for, and so Boho Dust was born. 

“We launched Boho Dust to bring a sustainable alternative to glitter-lovers and try and help put an end to microplastic pollution,” says Emma. As well as their range of glitters, Boho Dust also sell their very own range of glitter stencils. We’ve all been to a festival or a holiday party and suffered from major glitter-envy – but for those of us who might not have the skills to create our own glittery masterpieces, Boho Dust’s stencils do the trick. Bonus: they are reusable, meaning that designs can be re-created or shared.

“Choosing biodegradable glitter is the perfect way to sparkle this  season without harming the planet. As more and more people become aware of the sustainable options, we hope plastic glitter will soon become a thing of the past,” concludes Emma.

Eco Glitter Fun, created by two ‘party animal’ friends, is dedicated to aiming to reduce the harm created by one hundred years of plastic. All Eco Glitter Fun’s products are sold in plastic-free packaging and the brand’s hope is that the word about reducing plastic consumption will spread via their ethical glitter. 

When they launched in April 2017, Ecostardust were fresh off the realisation that as avid festival goers, the glitter that adorned their limbs at every opportunity was in fact thousands of bits of plastic. They decided that they didn’t want to stop the sparkle but wanted to make a change, so created a plastic-free biodegradable brand of glitter, which has now been worn at events all over the globe. From brushes to bags and individual pots of glitter in a rainbow of colours, there is no shortage of festive inspiration at Ecostardust. This holiday season, we’ll be swapping the PET glitz for a dose of plant cellulose with their party-perfect sparkle essentials.

 

Another eco glitter brand we love is Wild Glitter, who provide an  eco-friendly and cruelty-free way to sparkle. All of their biodegradable glitter is vegan and made from natural plant-based materials, meaning that depending on the microbes present it will break down in soil and seawater. Wild Glitter offer an array of options, from sets of small pots, to large jars filled with ethical sparkle, each in textures from fine powder, to seriously chunky flakes. Perfect for mixing it up to create the perfect party look.

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Lauren Wigley

A passionate vegan and serious animal lover, Lauren is a beauty fanatic with a passion for mindfulness and nature. Loving dog mum to Jack Russell Penny, she lives in London where she is constantly on the hunt for the latest in cruelty free beauty, yoga classes and tasty vegan snacks to share with the world via lifestyle blog blusherandkale.com.

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