Why the EU is banning glitter

Are these the last year-end celebrations with glittery decorations and make-up? After six years of discussion, it’s official: “loose glitter” will gradually be banned in the European Union (EU). The measure, which came into force on October 17, 2023 but will be phased in gradually, continues to stir up discussion on the Internet, where people either applaud or fret about the decision. Sam Dylan, a 32-year-old German influencer, expressed his panic to the German tabloid Bild: “In my world, everything has to shine.” The former reality TV contestant recounts buying €180 worth of loose glitter, in anticipation of its disappearance. “The EU is taking away the last sparks of glamour,” snapped Luca Valentino, another German social media star.

This measure is part of the European Zero Pollution action plan, which aims to reduce microplastic pollution by 30% by 2030. Producers can dispose of existing stock, but will not be able to produce more.

These glittering particles, popular at music festivals and celebrations, are mostly made up of small pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters in length, coated with a varnished layer of aluminum. Anyone who has ever spilled a jar of glitter while preparing a carnival costume or New Year’s Eve make-up knows that cleaning up these fragments is an impossible task. It’s the same story for the environment, into which these microplastics pour without being filtered or collected. Oceans, waterways, soil, air, food and drinking water are all strewn with this debris, causing serious danger, particularly for biodiversity.

‘Christmas decorations’

More precisely, according to the European Commission, the ban “covers all synthetic polymer particles below five millimeters that are organic, insoluble and resist degradation.”

In addition to loose glitter, other products will gradually be targeted, including skin scrubs or exfoliating care products (due to the plastic microbeads they contain), as well as toothpastes, shower gels, clothes, toys, detergents, nail polish, or even, in a few years’ time, the small beads found on synthetic sports pitches.

The ban does not apply to “biodegradable, soluble, natural or inorganic glitter.” Inorganic materials, such as glass, contain no carbon, unlike organic materials such as plastic, of which much of glitter is made.

A spokesperson for the European Commission, contacted by Le Monde, pointed out that as far as particles attached to objects are concerned, “the ban only applies to glazed decorative objects such as Christmas decorations or party hats, whose glitter comes off during normal use.” According to the Commission, these measures should prevent “the release to the environment of about half a million tonnes of microplastics.”

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