No! For those of you who love a little sparkle, here are some of the best eco-friendly non-toxic glitter and glitter nail polishes that won’t harm the environment or your health.
It may be tiny, but glitter has an outsized environmental impact and can affect the health of humans, seabirds, fish, and other wildlife. If you can’t imagine a world without glitter, though, don’t worry. The brands below give glam a face lift, making shimmer sustainable.
Curious about how we rate products? Click here to view our methodology, which at its core, is about voting with our dollars to fight climate change.
Top Picks: Glitter
Bioglitz
Highlights: A biodegradable and compostable glitter that is free from GMO ingredients.
- Biodegradable and compostable (in 90 days)
- Hasn’t been tested on animals
- GMO-free and FSC certified
- Recyclable with carton-board, not paper
- Tested for heavy metals
- Meets EU and American standards for heavy metals, biodegradability, and ecotoxicity
- A tad more expensive than some other options
Bioglitz is my top choice for straight-up eco-friendly non-toxic glitter. This charitable, sustainable company has a strong environmental ethos and was founded solely to create eco-friendly glitter!.
Bioglitz creates biodegradable film using Forest Stewardship Council certified trees. The film biodegrades in sea water in accordance with the standard ASTM D7081-05. This might make it sound like the glitter has a short shelf life but it’s actually very stable. It only starts to break down in a soil, compost, or waste-water environment, where micro-organisms are present.
The BioGlitz range includes individual glitter pots, combo packs, and kits. Colors and styles include the fabulously named Blue Lagoon, Psychedelic Beet, Silver Disco, and Purp for the Planet.
Natural Earth Paint Eco-Friendly Cosmetic Glitter
Highlights: Ultra-fine glitter ideal for crafting and cosmetic use. Plastic-free and made with PEFC certified sustainably sourced cellulose.
- Ultra-fine biodegradable glitter for cosmetic and craft use
- Very affordable
- Plastic-free, aluminum-free
- FDA compliant for cosmetic use around lips
- Sustainably sourced cellulose from PEFC wood
- Comes in glass jars with aluminum lids
- Only four colors available
- Only one size available
Natural Earth makes a lot of great craft supplies, including biodegradable glitter. Happily, this is also safe for use as body glitter.
This glitter is plastic-free and made with cellulose from wood pulp (mainly eucalyptus trees). It is free of aluminum and is certified biodegradable in the natural environment, so there are no concerns about washing it off and sending glitter down the drain.
Unlike some eco-friendly glitters, this one is free of mica but still ultra-fine. It’s great for dusting onto skin after applying aloe vera gel for stickiness.
The glitter comes in glass jars with aluminum lids, for endless reuse and easy recycling.
Zerra & Co. Body Glitter
Highlights: Ultra-fine glitter gel for easy application. Plastic-free and zero-waste.
- Biodegradable body glitter
- Zero-waste, plastic-free glass jar and metal lid
- Curbside recyclable, endlessly reusable packaging
- Mica-based
- 20 g pots!
- Only three color options
- Limited edition!
- No certification for mica sourcing
Zerra & Co. just reintroduced a limited run of biodegradable body shimmer (AKA glitter) for summer 2025. Available only in three colors, this glitter is zero-waste, plastic-free, and fully recyclable and biodegradable.
The glitter takes a little while to dry but is smudge and smear-proof thereafter. It’s easy to clean with warm water and soap and won’t harm wildlife when it swirls down the drain.
This glitter is made with conventional mica, and while Zerra & Co. says this is responsibly sourced, there’s nothing concrete to back that up.
Nurture Handmade
Highlights: Some colors are vegan and cruelty-free and made with minerals, including synthetic mica.
- Very affordable
- Lots of options (not all as good as each other)
- Small sizes and bulk purchases available
- Company makes a glitter pump to reduce mess!
- Independent, family-run, woman-owned business
- On-site recycling and carbon-neutral shipping
- Aluminum and other things to avoid in some glitter options
- Mica is ‘responsibly sourced’, with nothing to back up the claim
Nurture Handmade is another option for more eco-friendly glitter, but with a caveat:
Yes, this glitter is plastic-free, but some glitters contain aluminum and other things you might want to avoid.
The best options I’ve found are:
- Black Onyx EnviroGlitter
- Super Sparkles EnviroGlitter.
These glitters are made with minerals, including synthetic mica (made from seaweed), and are vegan and cruelty-free. They are inexpensive and can be bought in small glass jars or in bulk (up to 5 kg!), in case you’re planning a huge glitter rave.
Nurture Handmade also offers a glitter pump for easy glitter dispensing if you’re making bath bombs and want to keep the mess to a minimum.
Unfortunately, some Nurture Handmade products contain conventional mica (which they state is ‘responsibly sourced’, without offering any additional info). I’d suggest avoiding this, given the child labor, poor working conditions and related fatalities, and pollution associated with conventional mica mining. Check the ingredient info before buying or contact the company if the information is missing or unclear.
Elektrik Glitter
- Biodegradable glitter from eucalyptus cellulose
- Softer than plastic glitter and mica
- Chunkier glitter than other options on this list
- Company donates to ocean conservation charities
- Made in the U.S.
- Bigger pots (22 g) and party packs (including Pride glitter packs) available
- Company not transparent about other ingredients
Elektrik Glitter is a great option if you want a chunkier glitter for dramatic effects. This glitter is mica-free and biodegradable, and it is much softer than comparable plastic glitters.
This glitter works for hair, face, and body. It’s also a good craft glitter. If you want glitter for soap making or bath bombs, though, mica or synthetic mica from seaweed are your best options as these can handle the heat.
Top Picks: Glitter Nail Polish
You could create your own glitter nail polish using regular nail polish plus glitter, but a ready-made, eco-friendly, non-toxic glitter nail polish is much easier.
Unfortunately, finding a sustainable, safe glitter nail polish is tricky. Most brands still use PET (microplastics) in their glitter polishes.
In fact, there’s really just one brand we recommend that makes a non-PET glitter polish that’s free of the most worrisome toxic chemicals found in conventional nail polish.
Zoya Glitter Nail Polish
Highlights: A range of non-PET glittery nail polishes that are 10-free.
- Microplastic-free mica based glitter polish
- 10-free
- Available in several shades
- Can use the lighter glitter polishes to add shimmer to darker polish
- Still some potentially undesirable chemicals in the mix
Zoya is a top pick for non-toxic nail polish in general and is probably a household name for many who love a good manicure. This brand was founded by a married couple named (surprise!) Zoya and Michael.
Zoya, a cosmetologist, and Michael, a chemist, concocted a range of glittery nail polishes that are 10-free. This means they contain no:
- Formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, or toluene (the big 3)
- formaldehyde resin
- Camphor
- TPHP
- Parabens
- Xylene
- Ethyl tosylamide
- Lead.
Even better, the glitter comes from mica, rather than microplastics.
Unfortunately, it’s not clear where the mica is sourced. So, if you’re concerned about child labor in mica mines, consider adding a little ecoglitter to your regular polish instead.
It’s also worth noting that Zoya polishes contain styrene copolymers, which may pose a risk of health effects related to exposure to residual styrene and contaminants.
Honorable Mention: Lush
Lush doesn’t offer glitter nail polish but it does use eco-friendly, sustainable glitter for its bath bombs and other glittery goods.
All in all, Lush is a pretty safe bet for non-toxic and eco-friendly cosmetics and toiletries. The product range isn’t perfect, but it tends to be cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, high quality and environmentally friendly and the company does a lot to promote sustainability and other causes.
Lush switched out its microplastics many years ago and more recently replaced its mica glitter with eco-friendly synthetic mica because it could no longer confirm that its mica sources were free from child labor and other unethical practices.
Specifically, Lush replaced its mica with fluorphlogopite (AKA synthetic mica). This allowed Lush to continue using the product to add sparkle to bath bombs, shower gels and cosmetics as before. This synthetic mica is better able to withstand heat than the biofilm-based eco-glitters, so is definitely the better option if you’re making your own bath bombs and soap.
What about Sally Hansen’s new Pure line? 16 free and vegan. I can find this in stores instead of online. This is a plus.
Hi!
Thanks for the question. At first glance, Sally Hansen’s vegan Pure line looks like a pretty good option because it is free from some of the major offenders in terms of toxicity and eco-friendliness. However, It does contain quite a few questionable ingredients that might be harmful to human health and the health of the wider environment. These include propylene glycol, a bunch of FD&C colors, and:
Sucrose acetate isobutyrate, which can bioaccumulate and persist in the wider environment and may be associated with non-reproductive organ system toxicity
n-butyl alcohol, which poses a risk of non-reproductive organ system toxicity, irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), and is an occupational hazard (so, even if it doesn’t hurt the end user, it might harm factory workers’ health)
Dimethicone, which poses a risk of non-reproductive organ system toxicity and can be an ecotoxic chemical.
So, while it’s arguably better than some polishes, it’s not the least toxic nail polish available, nor the kindest to the environment. I do like that it’s vegan though, and that the shimmer comes from synthetic seaweed-based glitter rather than plastic or mica!
Hope this helps,
Leigh
Nurture soap has a clear statement on their website certifying their micas are responsibly sourced. An update to that paragraph would be more clear. They also have free shipping over $35!
Hi Ali,
Thanks for the info on shipping!
The only statement I see currently on the Nurture Soap site is about the eco glitter’s eco-friendliness. There are also bullet points on individual listings saying ‘responsibly sourced’ without any additional info. I’ve updated the post to reflect that, but still have concerns over what this means as it’s not a legally binding term.
If you have more info on the provenance of the mica, I’d love for you to send it me or share it here. Thanks!
Leigh
Hello, I am desperately looking to find a safe nailpolish for my daughter(who has an immune disorder). Even when I look up Keeki, I find things about the toxic acrylate polymeer, copolymeer…
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1828644/
Any new products on the market who are safer?
Thank you
Hi Margriet,
Thanks for the question. We just did a round-up of the best nail polishes, many of which are likely a better fit for your needs.
All the best,
Leigh
How about Honeybee Gardens nail polish? I would love to know your opinion about that. Thanks
Hi Kaye,
Sorry for the delayed reply. I was working on rounding up all our best nail polish picks when you got in touch!. The new post is here, with Honeybee Gardens a top pick!
Thanks,
Leigh
Hi can I get a feedback on l’atelier nail polishes. I’m really curious.. They Schould be 13free, vegan etc. Thank you