Drowning yourself and your friends in glitter before going out is a girlhood experience many of us know well. It’s a final step before leaving your room: a little on your clothes, maybe some in your hair. There’s even makeup setting spray with glitter now. It’s essentially an accessory to finish off your look, the same way you would with perfume. But recently, I learned that glitter has another use entirely, one that has nothing to do with aesthetics and everything to do with forensic evidence.
I fell down this rabbit hole after discovering a product called Hug Repellant, a shimmer spray marketed to discourage unwanted physical contact. The brand is intentionally blunt. Its website says, “Where personal space lacks, Hug Repellant attacks!” and “Prevents 99.9% of unwanted physical contact!” It even jokes that the product works because “we know who doesn’t want any sort of glitter on them ;)”.
On Instagram, the founder, Cass Holland, explains that she originally created Hug Repellant while working as a cart girl, where dealing with handsy and sometimes married customers is unfortunately common. What started as a joke about keeping men away quickly turned into something more intentional.
Some things that can be left behind at a crime scene include fingerprints, hair, blood, and … glitter? We’ve all found random specks on our clothes months later, long after the party is over. That clingy quality is exactly why glitter has become one of the most unexpected tools in forensic science. Glitter comes in countless combinations of colors, shapes, sizes, and materials, which means two random pieces of glitter are unlikely to be exactly the same. If glitter from a crime scene matches glitter found on a suspect, the odds of it being a coincidence are very low.
That specificity makes glitter effective as trace evidence. There have been real cases where glitter played a key role. In one California murder investigation in the early 2000s, forensic scientist Ed Jones matched glitter found in a victim’s hair at a Fourth of July party to glitter discovered in the suspect’s truck. Something that probably started as a cute touch for a party ended up being a crucial piece of evidence.
So how do investigators actually analyze glitter? In a lab, scientists analyze glitter by starting with its physical traits, including color, size, shape, and layer structure. From there, they can use specialized tools to determine what materials it is made from and how it was manufactured. Some tests look at the polymers used in the glitter, while others analyze how it reflects light or what elements are present in its metallic layers. Even one particle can be enough to make a meaningful comparison.
What’s interesting about glitter forensics is how it reframes something we usually overlook. Glitter is often dismissed as shallow or excessive, tied to femininity in a way that makes it easy to mock. Yet, it’s unknowingly one of the most effective forms of trace evidence. So girls, keep using the glitter and whatever else makes you feel good. It might matter more than you think.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!