If you've ever seen shiny edible decorations on top of cakes, cookies or cupcakes, chances are they were created with an edible Tinker Dust, Petal Dust or Luster Dust! But if you are new to using decorating dusts & glitters, it can be a bit overwhelming. There are edible dusts, food grade dusts, non-toxic dusts, non-edible glitter, and it goes on and on! Well, we are here to help breakdown all of the differences and make it easy for you to narrow down what it is you are looking for!
To see a side-by-side comparison of some of our dusts and glitters, click here!
Lets start first with the difference between "edible" & non-edible"
- Edible: You can consume it and eat it (same as food-grade)
- Food Grade: You can consume it and eat it (same as edible)
- Non-toxic: Contains non-harmful and/ or non-toxic ingredients but is not FDA compliant (same as non-edible)
- Non-edible: Advisable not to eat the product (same as non-toxic)
** Please note: Not ALL dusts and glitters that claim to be edible and/ or food-grade are indeed edible and/ or food-grade. In fact, more often than not, they are not. Many knock off brands "cut" their glitters and dusts with non-edible and non-FDA approved ingredients to make a quick buck. So be very careful and be sure you are buying from a trusted name brand in the cake, food, beverage or baking industry. If it is really cheap in price, chances are the dust/ glitter or the brand it's coming from, is not using FDA compliant ingredients and the product is not edible or consumable.
Helpful Guide to Different Types of Dusts
Although they are all used for cake decorating, they have different properties and produce different effects. Here is a guide that talks you you through the primary baking/ decorating dusts & glitters on the market:
- Tinker Dusts (Edible/ Food Grade) - Bakell's very own beautiful edible glitter/ dust product. A beautiful edible glitter, shinier and more glittery than luster dusts! These dusts come in a large variety of colors with a lustrous, sparkle and shine. More similar to Disco Dusts or Dazzler Dusts, but with a slightly silkier texture and is 100% FDA compliant & food grade! They are lovely sprinkled on frosting, whip cream or brushed on chocolate covered strawberries & other desserts!
- Luster Dusts (Edible/ Food Grade) - Are very shiny fine grain edible pearlized powder! typically brushed on or mixed with a liquid and painted or airbrushed.
- FD&C Petal Dusts (Edible/ Food Grade) - Are very fine edible "matte finish" food coloring powders and paints. Beautiful vibrant matte colors, these are most often used for projects such as edible flower brushing!
- All Natural Petal Dust (Edible/ Food Grade) - all natural colored powders are a free-flowing powder designed to color and function in water as a natural paint. The powdered natural color blend will easily disperse with conventional mixing to produce vibrant colors. These versatile baking powders are made with only all natural ingredients and are 100% Kosher & Halal certified.
- Dazzlers Dusts & Hologram Dusts (Non-Toxic) - Are very shiny, glittery, non-toxic decorating sprinkle intended for decoration.
- Highlighter Dusts (Edible/ Food Grade) - Are subsets of our Luster Dust category, but are deep in color toned & incredibly metallic. They can be used exactly as luster dusts, either applied dry or as a paint.
- Brew Glitter® (Edible/ Food Grade) - Brew Glitter® is a glittery powder made here in the USA that can be added directly to beverages to make it shine, swirl and sparkle!
An In-Depth Guide to Understanding Tinker Dust
Like Luster Dusts, Our Bakell® line up of Tinker Dusts are also 100% consumable, food grade, edible and are FDA complaint! Tinker Dusts are a very potent and shiny, beautiful edible glitter dust! Our Tinker Dust collection is a very similar in shimmer and shine to Disco Dusts or Dazzler Dusts, both of non-edible, but with a slightly silkier texture and of course... Tinker Dusts are edible!
Edible Tinker dusts & powders add shimmer and shine to your fondant and gum paste creations. Unlike Luster Dusts, Tinker Dusts are not meant to be painted or airbrushed with, but instead they are used to sprinkle over or add add a heavy/ light dusting onto your creation to give it a wonderful POP and WOW factor!
In many cases, cake artists and baking decorators use Luster Dusts in combination with Tinker Dusts, First panting or airbrushing their edible creation with a cot or two of luster dust to give it a real coat of shining brilliance, then as a final step dusting & sprinkling the confectionery masterpiece with Bakell® Tinker Dust!
Where Can I Buy Tinker Dust
Tinker dust and all other dusts are available right here at Bakell® - click here to browse through our beautiful collection of edible Tinker Dusts!
A Quick Guide to Understanding Luster Dust
As mentioned earlier, Luster Dusts are 100% edible - also mentioned earlier, this doesn't mean ALL Luster Dust products on the market are edible, so be careful). Luster Dusts are a finer powder than the Tinker Dusts but still incredibly shiny with brilliant pearlized tones in each color shade! Luster Dust is typically brushed on or mixed with a liquid and painted or is airbrushed as seen in our video shown below.
Luster Dusts can be turned into a beautiful shiny “paint” when mixed with a small amount of lemon extract or vodka and brushed on your product. It only takes a small amount of liquid, so start with a few drops and mix until you get a consistency you like. Do not try mixing luster dust with water, as it is not water soluble and you will get a sticky mess. For stronger effects, you can paint on multiple coats of luster dust, just be sure to let each layer dry in between applications. Luster dust can also be mixed with alcohol and used with a food-grade airbrushing machine like this one - click here!
Luster Dusts look beautiful mixed with drinks or sprinkled on whip cream & icing. Cake & Cookie decorators use luster dusts wet or dry with stencils to brush designs and patterns onto the set royal icing. Bakell® Luster Dusts are edible, food grade and perfect for the Confectionery Sugar craft artist!
Airbrush Gun Kits for Luster Dust Decorating can be purchased here.
Is Luster Dust the Same As Petal Dust, Pearl Dust, Sparkle Dust, Disco Dust, or Highlighter Dust?
Luster Dust" is sometimes used as a catch-all term for a family of "decorative dusts," including petal dust, pearl dust, sparkle dust, disco dust, and highlighter dust, but these dusts are not all the same
Where Can I Buy Luster Dust?
Luster dust and all other dusts are available right here at Bakell® - click here to browse the beautiful collection of Luster Dusts!
Why Choose Bakell® Brand Glitters & Dusts
First, we know the edible glitter & edible dust market like the back of our hands! As a result, the Bakell® team is committed to producing the highest quality dusts & glitters on the market. Our attention to detail and quality control is second to none. Not only do we take pride in our products, but we take great pride in our brand! So why do customers love Bakell® glitters & dusts - here are a few reasons why Bakell® is the #1 site for all glitter & dust lines on the market
- FDA compliant & is 100% edible/ consumable
- Kosher Certified, click here
- Halal Certified, click here
- Vegan, Nut Free, Dairy Free & Gluten Free
- Dozens & Dozens of Colors to Choose From
- Highest Quality Edible Glitters & Dusts on The Market
- Edible Dust & Glitter Lines Are Made In The USA, click here
Don't take our word for it, check out some of the amazing pictures and photos our customers have taken using our Bakell® brand glitters & dusts - Click Here
Bakell® is the #1 selling edible glitter & dust line on the market! Start Shopping and start dazzling your friends, family, staff, colleagues & customers!
Shop Entire Glitter & Dust Collection - Click Here