Fake snow is in high demand. Just don’t ask how it’s made

Tino Liquigan, left, and wife Raquel with their daughters amid the falling “snow” on Disneyland’s Main Street. “We can’t talk about the formula,” said Mike Giles, president of Global Special Effects, who boasts having produced artificial snow for “every major theme park you can think of.” He compared divulging his snow formula with asking Colonel Sanders to disclose the 11 herbs and spices in Kentucky Fried Chicken. “The consumer has a number of choices where they can shop, and we want to make our experience the best,” said Julie Jauregui, senior vice president for retail operations and leasing for Caruso, the real estate company behind several shopping centers featuring fake snow, including the Grove, Palisades Village in Pacific Palisades and the Americana at Brand in Glendale. Special effects experts say the first use of soap suds as a stand-in for snow was the 1946 holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Before then, snow was replicated in films with cornflakes painted white. In the safety data sheets, the snow-making companies don’t offer more details about the blends of surfactants, saying that such information is “proprietary.” Protecting the formula is important, Williams and other snow makers contend.