California could ban plastic glitter in cosmetics under new bill

As California state lawmakers are proposing a ban on plastic glitter being used in cosmetics, the University of Cincinnati's Kelly Dobos spoke with San Diego CBS affiliate KFMB about current uses of the materials and potential alternatives.

The California Senate Judiciary Committee recently approved a bill that would ban the sale of personal care products with plastic glitter. If it passes, the legislation would make California the first state in the nation to enforce such a restriction.

Dobos, a cosmetic chemist and adjunct instructor in UC's Cosmetic Science Program in the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, said plastic glitter is commonly found in products including eyeshadows and nail polishes. It is made with materials that don't easily break down in the environment.

“Plastic glitters are made with sheets of polyethylene terephthalate, that's the plastic aspect of it, and then they're coated with a thin layer of aluminum, and that helps give you that real high sparkle and shine,” Dobos said.

Plastic glitter alternatives are already in use, Dobos noted, including mica, a natural mineral that adds shimmer to cosmetics. The industry has been working to develop more sustainable alternatives for the past 15 years, she said.

“We want to prove that it has that shelf life stability before we go out and put [it] into the market,” Dobos said. “So that will take some time. But I know that, you know, behind the scenes, we are working on it as an industry.”

Watch or read the KFMB story.

Featured photo at top of a glittery eyeshadow palette. Photo/SpicyTruffel/iStock.