FAQ

Glowing Gecko is an Australian owned and operated business, supplying a superior range of glow in the dark powder and products.

Glowing Gecko is an online company based in Western Australia. This means we can keep our costs down and post to anywhere in Australia and beyond.

• Glow in the dark powders are based on the process of photoluminescence. They will absorb energy when exposed to any light source, and emit a glow whenever it is dark. This happens over and over again for 15-20 years.
• No chemical reactions take place during the process of photoluminescence.
• Glow powder consists of a substance called strontium aluminate – a much safer, brighter, and superior element than zinc sulphide (used in less superior glow in the dark products).
• Our other glow in the dark products are created using our glow powder as the primary ingredient.

NOTE: Glow (or photoluminescent) powder is not the same substance used in glow necklaces and glow sticks currently on the market. These usually contain harmful ingredients are short lived.

Glow Powder does not require UV black light to glow. It simply requires any light source to charge the particles, and a low lit or dark environment to emit the glow.

• Not all glow powders and products are created equal.
• Glowing Gecko manufactures the highest quality photoluminescent products on the market and will not compromise on quality.

• It only takes minutes to charge but will glow for around 12 hours in the dark
• Initially the glow will be bright with a strong colour. As the night rolls on, and the particles of powder release their charge, the intensity of colour and brightness will lessen.
• This will occur night after night for around 15-20 years

Glowing Gecko photoluminescent powder and products are:

• Non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-radioactive.
• Environmentally friendly.
• Ridiculously safe!
• A Safety Data Sheet is available on this website. Keep in mind you’ll need to follow the safety instructions of the product you add the powder to.

Any reasonable light source will "excite" the particles. Sunlight will "excite" them faster but artificial light (flourescent light, standard light bulbs, etc) will also work.

• Energy saving – no batteries or electricity required
• Its own light source
• Little or no maintenance required. No need to replace batteries, solar lights, cords, etc
• No need to have an expert install products or use the powder
• Money saving
• Completely safe
• Funky and fun (endless)
• Safety applications (endless)

The powder itself is just the raw product that can be added to a medium (the stuff you mix it with). The choice of medium you choose is limited only by your imagination (& a small number of considerations).

• Polyester resin
• Clear paint base
• Paraffin
• Amino resins
• Acrylic resin
• Glues
• Wax
• Ceramics
• Cement
• Glaze
• Varnish
• Nail polish
• Hair gel
• Caulking
• Acrylic/gel nails
• Glass
• Rubber
• Plastics
• White paint base

Water based mediums don’t do well with our standard powder. But fear not – we have an encapsulated powder you can use instead.

• It can’t be used on metal or in an acid base.
• It can’t be used in water, although we do have a water-soluble powder available which can be.
• Darkly pigmented mediums will both increase the time it takes to charge and lower the brightness of the glow so broadly should not be used. Feel free to experiment though.
• It is recommended that you use clear or white mediums wherever possible and then paint or mould any daytime colours underneath or behind of the glow layer as a base coat. If you use a medium other than clear or white, test it thoroughly with a small sample first.

To a certain extent, this depends on the glow effect you want, the application method, and the medium you want to use. It may require a bit of experimenting.

The standard ratio is around 30%. This equates to around 30grams per 100ml of medium you want to use. We have found that in clear mediums such as resin, this is enough. More powder will result in more of a milky appearance to the resin during the day.

We have also applied up to 50% of powder to mediums such as white paint that were applied to pots.

Consider though that too much powder can effect some properties of the medium, such as paints that won’t stick or settling of the powder.

We usually go with about 20-30% - 20-30grams of powder to 100ml of resin.

You will need to estimate the amount of resin you require in order to gauge the amount of glow powder you’ll need.

We have further instructions for Glow Wood in our blog.

This will depend on a lot of different factors which we at Glowing Gecko don’t have the expertise to advise on.

Our powders will work in any of the resins, but which resin you choose will depend on the application (jewellery, wood fill, moulds, etc). Further information can be found at this link.

This will depend largely on the type of appearance you are after – do you want a thick spread that will give off more light, or do you want it to be sparse so it’s just a little funky?

We have a calculation guide based on the appearance you are after. Click here.

• Glowing Gecko offers 4 main colours - Yellow Green, Blue Green, Sky Blue & Purple.
• Other colours on the market are reds and oranges but they use the zinc sulphide substance and glow times are reduced significantly. They are also significantly more expensive. Glowing Gecko can manufacture these at your request.

Yellow Green pips it just over the Blue Green, followed by the Sky Blue and then Purple

• Glowing Gecko offers 3 standard particle sizes - fine (5-15um), medium (35-70um), and course (75-100um). Other sizes are available upon request.
• Put simply, the larger the particle size the brighter the glow.
• Larger particle sizes produce more of a gritty feel and appearance than the smaller particle sizes.
• You will also find the larger particle sizes have greater density and tend to fall to the bottom of liquid mediums. This can be alleviated by using a thicker medium and/or stirring it just before applying.
• For applications where texture or appearance close up are important, you may want the fine or medium particle size.

The table below shows the differences between colours and particle sizes and how they affect glow time and glow brightness.

If the surface you are applying the powder and medium to is dark, it may be worth applying a white base first.

When the powder is mixed with a dark medium, the light energy is absorbed mostly by the dark colour. The powder particles miss out and the glow effect in the dark is significantly reduced.

• Most photoluminescent pigments are soluble in water and decomposed in acid, so they can`t be used in water-base and acid-base mediums before encapsulation. Encapsulated photoluminescent powder is available on our website.
• Don’t use metal vessels or stirring implements
• Mix pigment well before applying to ensure glow powder particles are suspended (not sunk to the bottom)
• Keep pigments in breezy, dry areas and keep it free from humidity.
• Metal materials will reduce the brightness of photoluminescent powders, so do not use metal when mixing.
• Keep in mind any medium containing UV filters are designed to block UV light from passing through. These filters also delay the ability of the powder to charge. The degree to which the after-glow and charge time are affected will depend on the type and quantity of the additive. You will want to either eradicate the use of filters or experiment with the brightness and charge times of the medium you choose compared with the raw glow powder.

Glowing Gecko will post your items within 24hours.

Shipping depends entirely upon how much product you purchase and if you choose standard or express shipping! We are very happy to offer FREE standard shipping for all orders above $60!

You can find out the exact shipping costs for your order in by proceeding through the checkout.

It’s very important to us that you are completely satisfied with your Glowing Gecko products. If you have any concerns about your product, please contact Glowing Gecko to discuss.

You have 30 days from the date you receive the product to return it to Glowing Gecko. Your item must be unused and in the same condition you received it. It should be in the original packaging. The customer is responsible for payment of shipping costs when returning the item and are not refundable.

If Glowing Gecko has supplied a defective product, the original shipping costs at time of purchase will also be refunded.

On receipt of your item by Glowing Gecko it will be inspected and you will be notified on the status of your refund. Once approved a refund will be made via the method the original payment was made.