Glitter is everywhere. It’s the other fine powder that people are addicted to, and - in its own way - it’s equally as bad. And yet, looking around, one might feel as if society has a mandate for it.

Glitter is ubiquitous: it is the go-to aesthetic drug of modern times. In early childhood, everyone reaches for glitter to top off their finger paintings. Birthday parties are full of glitter, from the decor to the food. And its presence is remembered for days after, it sticks to hands and clothes and adorns unexpected corners of houses. But the obsession doesn’t end with childhood. It’s in everyday adult products too, like nail polish and makeup, and even car paint. During the holidays, snow is wonderful, sure, but the window decorations might be even better. They gleam and shine and display a manmade wonderland. All of those holiday products are irresistible - and they add to the magic of the season - because of bright packaging that catches our eye (there’s glitter in that too). Glitter turns anything ordinary into something magical--it is our mortal version of sorcery, and everyone’s hooked on it.

But if it’s true that people just can’t get enough glitter, the logical next question is why? Well, one might say humans are wired to love the sparkly stuff. People have an eye for beauty, and an innate pull for anything shiny.

It’s primal even, dating back to the need to track down sources of clean water. The way that water reflects the sun is a predecessor to the way that glitter shines in the glow of Christmas lights. So, in other words, playing with glitter or simply staring at it in awe stems in part from an early survival instinct, the need for a clean drinking stream.

When planning her birthday party recently, a close friend asked, “Should I have glitter come out of the invitation?” This suggestion was met with audible sighs. Sparkles are indeed the way to make a statement…and a lasting one at that. “They’ll stick to my hand!” “They’ll be on my clothes for days!” people cried. Nonetheless, she loved her idea, and made sure her party glimmered in every way possible. She did not mind coming to school covered in glitter for days after.

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Our Addiction to Glitter is Not Leading Anywhere Good

But like everything fun and habit-forming, glitter is slowly killing people and the planet. Glitter is made of microplastics - more specifically, polyethylene terephthalate or polyvinyl chloride and aluminum. It comes not from Neverland, but from the land of New Jersey - and never really leaves after that, taking up permanent residency in the landfills, the oceans, our food, and our brains.

The dire problems with glitter are more urgent than ever. Just last year alone, an estimated 400 million tons of plastic were produced globally. Our awareness of microplastics dates back to 2018, when Caity Weaver, writing for The New York Times, took a trip to the would-be wonderland of a Garden State glitter factory.

The factory was, and still is, shrouded in secrecy; the CEO of Glitterex refuses to disclose how the product is made. And most of the customers prefer to keep their identities secret too. But here is what’s known about glitter and the microplastics from which it is fabricated, the production process employs chemical substances that are downright hazardous to our health, damaging our immune systems and reproductive systems. Put another way, glitter is carcinogenic. Glitter, while glorious to look at, is inversely detrimental to our well-being - and it’s equally fatal to the environment, contaminating our soil, air, food, and water.

The word “micro” in microplastics is key. Glitter particles are so tiny they pass through water filtration systems, entering oceans, rivers, and lakes. Up to three million tons of microplastics enter our waters annually, and one estimate suggests 358 trillion microplastic particles are on the ocean’s surface.

These particles are difficult to remove and can be ingested by marine life, traveling up the food chain and entering human bodies through seafood. And it’s not just seafood, one study found that Americans inhale approximately 300,000 microplastic particles every month. Glitter’s harmful reach is widespread, from breathing to eating. As Babu Shetty, the CEO of Glitterex, said, “The average American sees glitter every day.”

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Can We Tackle Glitter's Harmful Effects?

So, have Americans woken up to the hazards of microplastics that lurk everywhere? Well, yes and no. Scientists certainly now have a better grasp on the problem at hand, thanks in part to Caity Weaver’s article.

But is that enough to keep glitter off the craft table and out of our party invitations? This question is best answered by a closer look at human psychology. People are notorious for having bad habits, and for doing things that will eventually kill them (even if it’s rationally acknowledged).

Fighting the evil forces of the glitter addiction is no simple undertaking. And morbidly, “undertaking” is the word that best applies here. To tackle the glitter problem, society needs to be diligent.

Warning labels, while not 100 percent foolproof, are not entirely ineffective either, especially when it comes to mothers protecting their children. Labels could be slapped on glitter that already exists. But as for glitter that hasn’t yet been manufactured, perhaps something even stronger is called for: A complete halt in glitter production. One art studio in Dumbo has already taken action: it bans glitter altogether, with a $100 fine for violators. The rest of the world could benefit from following the lead of the artists.

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Then, it all comes back to that close friend planning her birthday party. Perhaps that friend’s daughter or granddaughter, preparing a celebration of her own, will wake up at a glitter-free birthday party in a world of greatly reduced microplastics. When she creates her party invites, it won’t occur to her to include mass-produced glitter along with the rsvp card.

Rather, she will draw on her own creativity to add pizzazz through non-hazardous, homemade materials. Her invitations will be even more memorable by virtue of their personal touch. A world without glitter doesn’t have to mean a world without sparkle; what it does mean is a world where unnecessary fatalities and pollution will be exponentially diminished.