In 2018, The New York Times ran a piece on the glitter industry.
A journalist toured the Glitterex factory, one of the world’s biggest glitter manufacturers, and asked a straightforward question:
Who’s your biggest customer?
The answer: “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”
Then they added: “They don’t want anyone to know it’s glitter.”
The collective internet lost its mind. Reddit threads. Podcasts... no one could confirm who it was.
Which, obviously, made it worse.
The internet thinks glitter is a military-grade secret.
If a company doesn’t want consumers to know something contains glitter, what are they hiding?
Speculations rolled in:
- Military stealth tech and radar scattering
- Aerospace and satellite insulation
- Car paint, road markings, luxury packaging
- Passports, currency, anti-counterfeit systems
- Toothpaste, nail polish, detergent, processed food
Essentially, glitter might be everywhere. And you wouldn’t know.
A not-so-fabulous origin story
In the 1940s, a machinist named Henry Ruschmann in New Jersey was shredding scrap metals in his barn. He ended up creating the first version of modern glitter.
These flakes were originally used during WW2 military experiments for radar deflection, reflective coatings, and military camouflage.
Yes, the first commercial glitter was literally war tech.
By the 1950s, it had moved into industrial manufacturing: auto paint, aviation, printing, packaging. Later, cosmetics. But it never really left its origins in secrecy and utility.
So who’s buying all the glitter, and why so quietly?
One of the most compelling theories points to industrial paint suppliers, especially for marine applications like boat coatings.
These paints need to withstand saltwater, UV, wind, and wear.
Glitter-like particles help reinforce the paint, adding reflectivity and resilience.
But as that paint chips and wears off, it doesn’t just disappear. It breaks off directly into our oceans...!
What this story reveals
The glitter conspiracy isn’t just a mystery, it’s a mirror.
Most people don’t know what they’re putting on their bodies, or into the world.
And most brands would rather keep it that way.
We’re not one of them.
At Projekt Glitter, we believe what touches your skin shouldn’t harm your body. And what leaves your hands shouldn’t harm the planet.
That’s why everything we make is 100% plastic-free.
From the glitter itself to the packaging it arrives in.
This isn’t just about glitter.
It’s about the kind of businesses we need more of.
Want glitter that doesn’t come with classified files?
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