Glitter adds sparkle to crafts, clothes, makeup, and more. But when it gets washed off or thrown out, it can cause problems. Glitter is what scientists call a microplastic .

glitter (countable and uncountable, plural glitters) A bright, sparkling light; shininess or brilliance.

Glitter can represent what is fake, not real. It can remind us of our materialism, hoarding treasure, shiny resources that are fought over, a symbol of greed, a source of conflict and war.

Any glitter especially chunky glitter with larger flake sizes or cuts in geometric shapes with sharp angles could hurt your skin due to their pointy edges. High-quality ultra-fine cosmetic-grade glitters are finer particle sizes and are usually perfect hexagons which won't hurt your skin.