It's important to know the difference between biodegradable vs compostable glitter, and I (GLITLICKER's owner, Havoq) try to be honest and transparent in communicating which type of eco-friendly glitter it is and describe the best practices for disposal. If you'd like to understand more about the actual break down process and what sort of science it takes for environmentally friendly glitters to break down, check out my more in-depth post How Glitter Turns to Dirt here. But the differences between biodegradable glitter and compostable glitter can be explained without that background knowledge.
Here's the short answer.
Biodegradable glitter more readily breaks down in the environment so it can be tossed or worn outside at festivals where it might flake off, and compostable glitter needs an industrial composting facility in order to break down so it must be washed down a drain to safely dispose of it. Not all eco-friendly glitter companies are the same, but the way GLITLICKER differentiates is by the color of the lips on the logo - green means compostable and blue means biodegradable.
Compostable Glitter needs a bit more to begin breaking down.
The reason Compostable Glitter needs an industrial composting facility is because it contains polylactide, which is compostable, but doesn't degrade as well in waterways. If you dumped a handful of compostable glitter in a waterway or outside somewhere, it would stay there as litter just like plastic glitter. Instead, it's better to wash composting glitter down a drain, so it can get caught up in a wastewater treatment facility. Studies have shown they are excellent at filtering microplastics, so they should do a good job at catching compostable glitter too. Then, wastewater treatment facilities are a type of industrial composting environment, which is exactly what the polylactide in compostable glitter needs in order to break down.
So, compostable glitter washed down the drain is, in most cases, not a concern for marine health.
The reason Biodegradable Glitter breaks down more readily is because the world's leading company Bioglitter has manufactured an innovative eucalyptus cellulose film-based glitter substance that holds strong to everyday use, but breaks down more readily in the environment. GLITLICKER is not a certified Bioglitter distributor, but goes through a handful of wholesalers that provide both Bioglitter and other eco-friendly options, one of which is also small business that I'm consistently pleased to see have wonderfully ethical practices and share their research too (shout-out to Amerikan Body Art in Florida - they're a beauty line that started as a small henna company, and their research has been invaluable for my little business!). I do as much digging through the internet as I can too, to make sure I know what I'm getting so I can pass all that info to you, so you can make decisions that work for you while protecting the environment best we all can.
The eco-friendly glitter options we have today are not a perfect solution yet, but it is a solid step in the right direction and as demand for and understanding of eco-friendly glitter increases, better options will be created.
