A Review of Conventional and Environmentally Sustainable Glitter

Abstract

Plastics offer several benefits, such as durability, versatility, and cost-effectiveness, which have led to their pervasive use in nearly every aspect of modern life. However, their widespread use has led to significant environmental concerns. One of the major issues is their persistence in the environment, where they accumulate and cause contamination. This problem is particularly severe with plastic packaging and microparticles used in cosmetic products. As a result, the cosmetics industry started producing environmentally sustainable glitter. “Biodegradable” glitter is available in distinct compositions, mainly with a central base composed of a biodegradable material. This review focuses on academic research and patents related to glitter and biodegradable glitter, aiming to classify and compare commercially available options. Furthermore, this review analyzes scientific research on conventional glitter and its conclusions regarding environmental impact. For this, we used the keywords “glitter,” “biodegradable glitter,” “eco-friendly glitter,” “natural glitter,” and “sustainable glitter” in the databases of Wiley, Science Direct, Springer, and Clarivate Analytics ISI—Web of Science. We also performed a bibliometric analysis using the keyword “glitter” in the Web of Science database to obtain a bibliometric map of publication trends in the field using VOSviewer software. The products identified in the search were analyzed for their components and biodegradation potential. These products were classified as “biodegradable” if they were composed entirely of biodegradable constituents and as “eco-friendly” if only a portion of their constituents was biodegradable. We observed that several glitter products are incorrectly classified as biodegradable, demonstrating the need for standardized terminology that accurately reflects the composition of the glitter particles. Patent applications indicate a growing interest in developing environmentally safe glitter particles in recent years. Studies on conventional glitter mainly focus on its environmental impact or discuss analyzes for the identification and classification of glitter particles. The data gathered highlight the gaps in the field, mainly related to glitter production methods and the standardization of biodegradable glitter. Thus, studies in this direction are highly necessary.