Glitter is litter. Here’s five biodegradable ones to shop instead

Glitter and microbeads are made from microplastics – small particles of plastic under 5mm – which never break down. You wash it down your sink or shower plughole, where it’s too small to be caught by filtration systems and floats into the sea. When eaten by marine animals who mistake microplastics for food, microplastics put them under serious threat, but also, we consume the plastic too when drinking water or eating fish.

Pat McGrath’s glitter lips. Preen AW18’s glitter spangled faces by Val Garland. 2018 is glitter’s year. KiraKira! There are so many reasons to love glitter. You don’t need to lose your sparkle just yet though- there’s plenty of biodegradable ptions out there.

Sleek Glitterfest Biodegradable Glitter, €6.49

Sleek Glitterfest comes in five shimmering shades of earth-friendly glitter, available at Boots.

Festival Face Biodegradable Glitter in Rose Pink, €4

Festival Face are currently working to make all their colour ranges biodegradable, but for now, there’s hundreds of biodegradable options clearly labelled on their website.

EcoGlitterFun Viola Standard Biodegradable Glitter, €4.50

This biodegradable glitter is made from a certified compostable films, non toxic, free of heavy metals and approved for cosmetic use. It’s designed to break down in the sewage system, but should it reach the oceans, it will breakdown in oceanic environments and soil or compost.

READ MORE: Microbeads: What To Know And How To Manage Without Them