After chatting with the guy who provides the faux snow for Tempe Marketplace, we're still wondering -- though we have a sneaking suspicion it's a type of soap.
Inventor Adam Williams of Magic Snow in California wouldn't tell us exactly what's in the fake flakes, saying it's a "proprietary formula."
In general, he writes in an e-mail:
The snow solution is comprised of 98% water and 2% cosmetic grade surfactant. The surfactants are vegetable based and environmentally friendly. It's a modified bubble solution used for special effects and films.
Um, okay, it's not a 10 percent mystery solution, just 2 percent. But what the hell is surfactant?
Turns out it's chemistry shorthand for "surface acting agent," or any substance that reduces the surface tension of water. Soap and fatty acids are types of surfactant, as well as toxic chemicals that obviously wouldn't be sprayed on folks for fun.
According to a Web site that touts a similar product, the fake snow is safe to consume -- and "even kosher." Magic Snow's site shows kids with their tongues out to catch the flaky surfactants.
Sorry. It's probably best not to think about it too much. -- Ray Stern
