As I was doing my morning internet perusing, I came across this fun video of a glittery bath bomb making a heinous mess is someones tub.
I love me the glittery things, so naturally I was intrigued, but what really caught my attention was that this magical shiny substance wasn’t plastics-based like most glitter, but rather seaweed-based. You guys…SEAWEED-BASED GLITTER?!?!?!
I had to know more…
In an effort to lower their environmental impact, the eco-conscious company LUSH cosmetics switched out the normal plastic glitter with a mixture of natural mica (what makes it shiny) and agar (a seaweed-based derivative that keeps it together). This product is biodegradable and doesn’t contribute to the ongoing proliferation of micro plastics in our oceans. See more about the process here. I can’t seem to find the seaweed-glitter anywhere else, but props to LUSH for pushing the cosmetic industry in a positive way.
Note: This is not a product endorsement (unless LUSH cosmetics wants to support online ocean science communication ;)
I saw that glitter bomb on my newsfeed but didn’t follow-up to learn it was made of mica and agar. Wowzers! Thanks for the investigative reporting!
I thought it sounded great until I read about the Mica part. Doing a bit of research you find that Mica mining is part of child labor, slave labor and environmental degradation in India and Pakistan. So, great for the ocean and micro plastic reduction but not for kids or the earth.
Ahh yes! See:
https://uk.lush.com/ingredients/synthetic-mica