Katharina Buczek
First of all, the answer is not boat paint– because the boating industry openly admits to using glitter, and the NYT interview alludes to an industry much more secretive than that.
Similarly, glitter is also not used in road paint, despite the common misconception. Instead, our paved roads are made to shine via glass beads– not the combination of aluminum and plastic that creates glitter.
Finally, the mystery client is obviously not a makeup company– since we already know glitter is used in everything from eye shadows to lip glosses. Likewise, it is not NASA.
Yes, NASA is currently working on a telescope that utilizes glitter. However, the amount of glitter this project requires is not enough to make NASA the largest glitter buyer.
So, what the heck could be the answer? Well, one TikToker named Rae thinks she has finally cracked the case.
In a now-viral video, Rae detailed how one unsuspecting– but totally plausible– industry might be the quartz countertop industry.
Contrary to popular belief, companies that create quartz countertops do not just slice open a huge boulder of quartz and throw it down as a kitchen counter. Instead, there is an entire manufacturing process.
First, the quartz crystals have to actually be ground down into a fine powder. Next, this powder is then pressed into the slabs.
Even afterward, though, the counter is still only about ninety percent quartz. What’s the other ten percent made up of, you might be wondering? Well, companies add other ingredients, such as polyester, resin, and “other additives.”
This vagueness, coupled with the known fact that quartz countertops really sparkle under overhead lights, is what pushed the TikToker to submit her guess. She even provided some math to back up her suspicion.
The boat paint industry, for instance, would use approximately one hundred and twelve thousand gallons of glitter per year. Next up, if glitter really were in U.S. currency, then about one hundred and twenty-two gallons would be used per year.
