All that glitters is not approved for cosmetic use. :(

It's no secret that I love glitter. I think I got my first set of glitter makeup around 1984, from Senshu Eyes, for Halloween. I still have them, or what's left of them - it was a very chunky type of glitter, but I wore them as often as I could. I still gravitate towards glittery makeup, from eye liners and mascaras, to sparkly lip glosses, I love the added sparkle that glitter provides. One of the reasons i got into formulating was to create some of the most dazzling products possible. To this end, I use many different kinds of "glitter" in my formulations. Some of these products are derived from glass, others are synthetic mica, and still others are made of PET (plastic water bottles), and all act very differently in formulations.

So imagine my surprise a couple months ago when I found out that PET glitter, often referred to as "cosmetic glitter," is not an approved color additive for cosmetics. *insert Chris Griffin "Whuuuuuuuuuuttt?" here* I started doing some digging and poking around, trying to find out how it could be illegal to include glitter in cosmetics when so many companies (and most of them major cosmetics companies) were still releasing products containing glitter. Unfortunately, the FDA has chosen to be rather vague concerning their stance, citing that they are currently not enforcing a ban on glitter during this grace period. They don't say how long this grace period is in effect or when it began, only that the issue is "active." So then I got started digging into the ingredients that make up glitter and the manufacturing process of glitters to see what I could find. According to all the data available to me, I've come to the conclusion that there doesn't seem to be any reason for glitter to not be approved as a color additive for cosmetic formulations. That said, I think there needs to be some restrictions (specific usage, particle sizes, and ingredient safety) to keep everybody safe. Anyway, I'm rambling; I've created a petition on Change.org to ask the FDA to revisit their decision on glitter. I'm asking them to approve glitter as a cosmetic color additive and to set up standards for formulation. You can read all the details on the petition page by following the link below. Please sign if you love glitter makeup, and please pass along to any makeup loving friends and family members as well. Thanks!

Petition to approve glitter for cosmetic use