If you’ve ever handled glitter, you know how messy it can be. Small glistening particles can end up scattering all over the place, contaminating your home or school environment. Likewise, microplastics have a similar, albeit wider-scale effect on our planet, and glitter is a significant contributor to this modern dilemma. That’s why researchers at the University of Cambridge have been working hard to develop an alternative to this environmental contaminant.

The answer they came across was cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), biodegradable, plant-based materials that produce the same sparkly effect as conventional glitter, and provide our natural world with shimmering beauty, like that of dazzling butterfly wings or shiny beetles. Unlike glitter made from plastic, CNCs’ hues do not fade over the years, and do not contaminate the environment with pesky microplastics.

These researchers hope to see CNC glitter used in various applications, including those of conventional glitter and shimmering pigments — think cosmetics, paints, clothing, and more. However, their main challenge has been the development of a process that can facilitate the production of these materials at an industrial scale, as they must be produced under controlled conditions to properly manage all the physical-chemical interactions.

So far, researchers have been able to produce cellulose films using industrial-scale roll-to-roll machines. They then grind these films into small particles that are totally biodegradable, plastic-free, non-toxic, vegan, and best of all… sparkly! This production process requires much less energy than that of conventional glitters, and the end result is much safer for our planet and consumers.

Would you use biodegradable, vegan glitter made from CNCs? Leave us a comment and share your thoughts!

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