[3] Nekesa Mumbi Moody of the Associated Press commented that although the song did not display the power of Pink's vocals, "her voice is still potent, full of hurt and confusion that anyone can feel".

[5] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters said, "Of all the ballads, though, the quiet piano closer 'Glitter in the Air' takes the cake, never once overplaying its hand, remaining sweet without once ever succumbing to saccharine niceties (think of a Jason Robert Brown song without the vocal showboating).

[5] Craig Emonds of The South End stated that while "every song has potential to do well and is quite likable, [...] Pink's vocals are strong and shine particularly in the ballad 'Glitter In The Air'.

[4] Justin Pacheco of The Good 5 Cent Cigar compared it to "I Don't Believe You", saying, "[it] exemplifies the sappy ballad [...] and would not seem out of place being sung by any other big pop singer.

[2] Patrick Ferrucci of the New Haven Register commented in the album review that "She does get a little wishy-washy though, going from tunes like 'Mean' and 'It's All Your Fault' to 'Please Don't Leave Me' and 'Glitter in the Air'".

[7] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine stated that one of the biggest problems in Funhouse was its songwriting, saying, "'Glitter in the Air,' with its emo-esque "You called me sugar" bridge, is overwrought with its clichéd imagery".

[8] In the United States, "Glitter in the Air" impacted radio stations as a new single minutes after Pink's performance at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010.

There, she took off the robe to reveal a white leotard and joined three female acrobats covered in glitter on suspension rigging which then lifted into the air.

[12] Underneath her, the acrobats performed, according to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, "slow-motion, geometric Cirque du Soleil poses".

[13] Michael Menachem of Billboard commented, "When Pink finally touched down, she continued singing with bombast, as though the entire spectacle had been no sweat.

[16] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday commented, "With her stunning Grammy performance of 'Glitter in the Air,' Pink proved that you don’t have to be shocking or over-the-top to be the best or the most-talked-about.