Hi. It's Joogle, your friendly Director of Powder Quality & Fart Detection (DPQFD for short).

Here at abysswalker.org, we deal, partly, in luminescence. Specifically, our premium, sterile, silica-encapsulated strontium aluminate glow powder—the stuff that lets your skin shine long after the lights go out. And because we know our clientele ranges from professional tattoo artists embedding art into living skin to bio-innovators pushing the boundaries of what's possible, our commitment to quality isn't just a talking point; it's an obsession.

This brings us to our enemy. The unwanted guest in the world of phosphorescent powders: zinc sulfide (ZnS). It's a cheap, less-effective glowing agent that, in poorly made powders, can show up as a nasty contaminant. And trust me, you don't want it anywhere near your precious tissues.

The Problem with Stinky Powder (The "Why")

First, a lesson. Our powder is silica-encapsulated. It's like the hard coating on the exterior of a gumball, a microscopic shell that makes the strontium aluminate pigment waterproof and bio-compatible. It protects the pigment core from moisture and, more importantly, protects you and your body from the core, ensuring stability and safety.

The problem is, creating a perfect, uniform encapsulation is difficult. Cheaper manufacturers cut corners. When that happens, their encapsulation can be incomplete, or worse, the core material itself is impure and contaminated with zinc sulfide (ZnS).

Well, what's the problem? Zinc sulfide, in the presence of even a mild acid, has an...unfortunate reaction. An acidic environment--like, say, citric acid, or more importantly, the natural pH of the human body--causes the ZnS to to break down. This breakdown releases something called hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas. This is the chemical responsible for the lovely odor of rotten eggs. Hydrogen sulfide is one of the components produced by bacteria in your gut that allow you to clear the break room at work on a nice Wednesday morning after throwing back a few beers to wash down your Tuesday Tacos.

Silent but deadly...

It's not just a bad smell. H₂S is a toxic gas. Releasing it is a catastrophic failure of material integrity. This is why, for our current glow powder and for any new suppliers and colors, we test for it, ensuring the encapsulation is flawless and the core pigment is pure.

The sniff test

How can we ensure our powder is pure enough for your next biohack? It's a matter of trust. And I trust nobody. This is why every powder from every supplier and every batch gets tested for 'olfactory quality control'.

Step 1: The Crush

First, we take a sample of the finished powder and grind it in a ceramic mortar and pestle. We're not gentle. We intentionally and thoroughly crush the silica shells to expose the raw strontium aluminate core within. If there’s a contaminant, we want it to have nowhere to hide.

Step 2: The Acid Bath

Next, we whip up a weak acidic solution. We dissolve 10g of powdered citric acid into 90mL of distilled water. (For DIYers out there, concentrated lemon juice works, too.)

Step 3: Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

Finally, we place the crushed powder in a container and carefully (or just send it, who cares) drip our citric acid solution onto it. Then we watch for a reaction, or, rather, we smell for one.

Science, Bitches!

If our powder were a cheaply-made imitation contaminated with zinc sulfide, the moment that acid hit, you'd see—and smell—a chemical reaction. It would look like this:

3ZnS+2C6​H8​O7​→Zn3​(C6​H5​O7​)2​+3H2​S

The citric acid (C6H8O7) would react with the zinc sulfide (ZnS). It would effectively steal the zinc to form zinc citrate (a harmless salt) and leave the now-lonely sulfur to bond with hydrogen from the acid. This creates the infamous, foul-smelling, and toxic hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas. You know those prank videos where someone sprays fart spray into an inflatable costume?

You just did that to yourself. Enjoy.

Conclusion
When we perform this test on our powder, the result is... nothing. No fizzing. No bubbling. And most importantly, not the faintest whiff of rotten eggs. All we're left with is perfectly inert, 'wet' powder instead of a wet fart.

No rotten egg smell, no fizzing, means no zinc sulfide. Simple as that.

Have questions about our process or want to see the quality for yourself? Check out our Biosafe Glowing Powder or drop a question in the comments below!