Nothing illustrates Western society’s decline into self/selfie-obsession like slathering on a face mask full of shimmering flecks of pollution-causing plastic and smiling for the front-dealing with the digital camera.
Okay, maybe I’m a tad bit harsh. But the factor remains: Can we forestall it with the glitter face masks already? They’re no longer proper in your pores and skin (more on that later).
They’re now not top for the environment. The only aspect they’re the type of good for is an Instagram put up… But seeing because it’s more and more sick-cautioned to put it up for sale the fact that you make contributions to gratuitous glitter waste on social media, I’m going to mention that the last one is likewise categorically now not desirable. On the alternative hand… In case you’re making use of glitter masks and not taking pictures of them.
What, I courteously ask, are you doing together with your existence? It’s written right there in the product descriptions: “Be affected person and take masses of selfies,” GlamGlow directs customers of its #GlitterMask GravityMud Firming Treatment, a mixture of artificial “dust” and superstar-fashioned polyethylene terephthalate plastic. “Treat yo’ self with this totally IG-worthy mask.
Wet ‘n’ Wild advises of the satirically-named Detox It Purifying Glitter Mask, which lists the reality that the elements are cruelty-free, gluten unfastened and vegan inside the “advantages” phase of the product listing. Maybe because there are not any other discernible benefits.
“Glitter [in skin care] is typically used for aesthetics,” Kelly Dobos, a beauty chemist with Sun Chemicals, tells Fashionista. “Many manufacturers are trying to create an Instagrammable revel in for users to proportion and glitters create a unique appearance.
Dermatologists agree: When asked if there are any blessings to inclusive of glitter in pores and skin-care formulations, “now not that I’m aware of” turned into the unanimous answer from the healthcare specialists Fashionista spoke to for this tale, consisting of Dr. Joshua Zeichner of Zeichner Dermatology in Manhattan. “The best advantage of the use of glitter in face masks is to enhance the classy look of the masks themselves,” he says.
To state the plain: There are zero good reasons to “improve the cultured appearance” of 20-minute masks meant to be used inside the privateness of your own bathroom. Replace the above with “a quiet makeup product meant to be worn all night,” though, and the road starts to blur. I get it. I’ve visible how big glitter has been on the runways, season after season, and I’m no longer proof against the glowing appeal of a shiny beauty look.
But that attraction turns into plenty duller when we recollect what we now know about the environmental outcomes of microplastics. And yet, manufacturers are nonetheless widely formulating with them. Earlier this month, Glossier Play brought 4 “dialed up splendor extras,” including Glitter Gelée Multigrade Paillettes, a glitzy eye gel packed with polyethylene terephthalate particles.
Though the release changed into an awful lot-anticipated, the emblem quickly found out that all that glitters isn’t #desires; as a minimum, no longer anymore. The consumer backlash against Glitter Gelée turned into fast and fierce — and truly, to be anticipated. Glossier’s customer base is basically made up of millennials who count sustainability as a middle cost. Almost at once, it announced a plan to segment out the paillettes.
Beauty manufacturers without Glossier’s level of visibility or conscious client base are nevertheless flying underneath the radar, though, simply in time for festival season. I received a PR blast the opposite day that exclaimed: “a water bottle and glitter are competition packing necessities!” Glitter has become the beauty equal of cut-offs and a flower crown, some other manner to bring that you’re younger and carefree at Coachella. But being “carefree” in that manner is not lonely anymore. With all that we recognize about plastic, pollution, and the planet’s future, companies, and purchasers need to care.
Of path, there will usually be people who don’t care, for whom sustainability isn’t virtually a concern. And to them, I ask: Do you care about your face? If the problems with those vivid plastic products began in vain and ended at environmentally irresponsible, that would be one factor. But the plastic present in the glitter mask also can actively harm skin — the complete opposite of what a mask is intended to do.
Glitter as a skin-care ingredient reasons infection, mainly in people with touchy skin,” says Dr. Sejal Shah of SmarterSkin Dermatology. “The fabric can be abrasive, feeling rough on the pores and skin,” Dobos provides.
