Is your nail polish toxic? What ingredients are most harmful, what dangers do they pose and which brands are leading the way for cleaner, safer beauty.
The trend towards clean beauty is here to stay. Brands are taking this consumer concern seriously; most brands are now 3–Free and many others are going even further than that.
We’ve seen brands as high as 18-Free.
Some are even eliminating gluten and are going vegan!
The 3-Free offenders that started it all
Formaldehyde: a preservative that makes polish shine and resist chipping but is known to cause cancer.
Toluene: a solvent that keeps polish thin and spreadable but is toxic to your nervous system.
Dibutyl phthalate DBP: a plasticizer that makes polish flexible and chip resistant but causes reproductive harm.
So what else might be removed?
What are the harmful effects of these toxic ingredients?
We’ve seen brands as high as 18-Free.
Some are even eliminating gluten and are going vegan!
The 3-Free offenders that started it all
Formaldehyde: a preservative that makes polish shine and resist chipping but is known to cause cancer.
Toluene: a solvent that keeps polish thin and spreadable but is toxic to your nervous system.
Dibutyl phthalate DBP: a plasticizer that makes polish flexible and chip resistant but causes reproductive harm.
So what else might be removed?
- 5-free contains no formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin, camphor
- 7-free contains no formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene
- 9-free contains no formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene, parabens, acetone
- 10-free contains no formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene, parabens, acetone, TPHP, TBHP, gluten
What are the harmful effects of these toxic ingredients?
- Formaldehyde is known to cause cancer
- Toluene is toxic to the nervous system.
- DBP is toxic to the reproductive system and can cause birth defects.
- Formaldehyde resin is an allergen and asthma irritant.
- Camphor irritates airways and dries out nails.
- Ethyl tosylamide can possibly antibiotic resistance.
- Xylene harms the central nervous system and possibly causes kidney and liver damage.
- Parabens enter the bloodstream and interfere with hormone function
- Acetone is a skin, eye and nervous system irritant.
- TPHP is a hormone and lipid disruptor.
- TBHP easily absorbed in the bloodstream and acts as an endocrine disruptor.
Here are some of the least toxic nail polish brands we’ve discovered;
Zoya, Sundays, Kure Bazaar, Orosa, Aila, BUTTER London, Sparitual, Jinsoon, TenoverTen, Côte, Smith & Cult.
As always Stimunail is a chemical, toxic and cruelty-free solution to treat nails.
Stay beautiful, stay healthy and stay safe!