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What Is Glitter?

nytimes.com

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Re: What Is Glitter?

#41

Post by cf498 »

ohadron wrote: post #18

Here's a huge thread on Reddit trying to figure out which mystery industry is the largest buyer of glitter: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/a8hrk0... No conclusive results yet, but I believe Reddit will deliver.

I love how one of the most up voted answers boiled down to "the military"

https://old.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/a8hrk0...

>defense department would be extremely secretive

>And they very much wouldn't care about the environmental impact

>A few hundred tons of glitter is significantly less bad than thousands of tons of agent orange and dioxin.

>And depleted uranium

Re: What Is Glitter?

#42

Post by CPLX »

cperciva wrote: post #19
ohadron wrote: post #18

Here's a huge thread on Reddit trying to figure out which mystery industry is the largest buyer of glitter: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/a8hrk0... No conclusive results yet, but I believe Reddit will deliver.

I thought the answer was right in the article: Automotive paint. They've got a lot of surface area to cover, and car companies want their vehicles to shine.

This is the answer, the article isn’t being particularly subtle about it.

Re: What Is Glitter?

#43

Post by tzs »

Glitter can apparently be used to help solve crimes, according to Wikipedia's "glitter" article [1]:

> Due to its unique characteristics, glitter has also proven to be useful forensic evidence. Because of the tens of thousands of different commercial glitters, identical glitter particles can be compelling evidence that a suspect has been at a crime scene.

It links to this review article on glitter from a forensic point of view [2].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitter

[2] https://projects.nfstc.org/trace/docs/final/Blackledge_Glitt...

Re: What Is Glitter?

#44

Post by jey »

ken wrote: post #27
cperciva wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought the answer was right in the article: Automotive paint. They've got a lot of surface area to cover, and car companies want their vehicles to shine.

I don't think automotive manufacturers would be worried about people knowing that their shiny paint contains glitter. Also, there are a lot of cars in the world, but most just get painted once. My first guess would be a consumable. Maybe food-related, where we don't expect (or want) glitter. The "toothpaste" guess sounds like it's on the right track. "Fast food" wouldn't entirely surprise me, either.

It's still probably under NDA and the glitter suppliers are contractually forbidden from revealing their customers. It'd be up to the customer to reveal it.

Re: What Is Glitter?

#45

Post by mjlee »

cf498 wrote: post #41
ohadron wrote: post #18

Here's a huge thread on Reddit trying to figure out which mystery industry is the largest buyer of glitter: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/a8hrk0... No conclusive results yet, but I believe Reddit will deliver.

I love how one of the most up voted answers boiled down to "the military" https://old.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/a8hrk0... >defense department would be extremely secretive >And they very much wouldn't care about the environmental impact >A few hundred tons of glitter is significantly less bad than thousands of tons of agent orange and dioxin. >And depleted uranium

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff_(countermeasure)

I guess it's possible chaff is made by Glitterex.

Re: What Is Glitter?

#46

Post by reportingsjr »

mirimir wrote: post #38
darkpuma wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a bit more miffed that he didn't make it very clear he didn't create the device. I enjoyed watching the video of the guy who did, but I only got to watch that video because somebody in the last HN thread recommended it.

> ... didn't make it very clear ... Until I saw this subthread, I had no clue that he didn't design and build it. I don't recall any reference, even to a partner.

He states in the video that he built it with someone else.

Re: What Is Glitter?

#47

Post by DanBC »

kingbirdy wrote: post #37
code_duck wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought the answer was given in the article as Revlon. Nail polish, eyeshadow, lipstick, blush... all can contain micro glitter particles. I wonder, what is the total surface area painted by cosmetics each year?

That's hardly secretive or unexpected, though - everyone knows cosmetics contain glitter

I don't think most consumers know that their lipstic or eyeshadow contains microplastics.

Re: What Is Glitter?

#48

Post by feint »

ohadron wrote: post #18

Here's a huge thread on Reddit trying to figure out which mystery industry is the largest buyer of glitter: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/a8hrk0... No conclusive results yet, but I believe Reddit will deliver.

I'm guessing floor tiles/fake stone benchtops. Huge market that would require a lot of glitter and it's not something you initially think would contain glitter. The expensive fake stone benchtops would feel "cheaper" if you knew that it was just glitter making them look good.

Re: What Is Glitter?

#49

Post by mbreese »

DanBC wrote: post #47
kingbirdy wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's hardly secretive or unexpected, though - everyone knows cosmetics contain glitter

I don't think most consumers know that their lipstic or eyeshadow contains microplastics.

I'd wager that they either know or don't want to know...

Re: What Is Glitter?

#50

Post by mirimir »

reportingsjr wrote: post #46
mirimir wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> ... didn't make it very clear ... Until I saw this subthread, I had no clue that he didn't design and build it. I don't recall any reference, even to a partner.

He states in the video that he built it with someone else.

OK, thanks. Missed that.
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