You walk into a nail salon and *boom* a wave of awful chemical smells instantly invades your nostrils. Nonchalantly, you sit down for 30-40 minutes to get a manicure, while those toxic chemicals work their way into your blood stream. You might not think much of it, but if these chemicals could potentially be harmful to your body; it might be in your best interest to know what they are. Do not fret, I’ve got you covered! The big “3-Free” ingredients to avoid in nail polishes are formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate, also known as, DBP.
Formaldehyde- The National Cancer Institute considers it to be a human carcinogen that is also commonly used to embalm and preserve dead animals. It can cause irritation for the eyes and nasal passages as well as increase allergies and asthma. It may also be listed as “Formalin” on the label. Contrary to popular belief, formaldehyde is only used in nail hardeners and not the actual polish, despite being grouped into the “3-free” category.
Toluene- Is a solvent that keeps nail polish in its liquid form. It can cause irritation of the upper respiratory tract and eyes, sore throat, dizziness, headaches, unconsciousness, and in some extreme cases death. It may also be listed as “toluol” or “phenylmenthane” on the label.
DBP- Is a plasticizer used to prevent chips and cracks. It makes nail polish chip-resistant (which we all love) and flexible after drying. However, it is said to cause reproductive and developmental problems, such as birth defects, so expecting mothers should beware.
With this information in mind, I consulted with my best friend, Google, in search of finding polish companies who have removed these three toxic ingredients from their formulas. My goal was to compare the “eco-friendly” polishes with the not so eco-friendly polishes to see if there are any noticeable differences in removing the “big 3” ingredients. What I discovered however, is that the majority of nail polish companies already have removed formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP from their formulas. These are the polishes that can be found lining the shelves in a Walgreens or Wal-Mart. For my experiment, I left each polish on for one week and then compared by findings. The results of my findings are as follows:
The first “3-free” polish that I tried was Wet n Wild’s fastdry polish in silvivor. I purchased this polish in my local Wal-Mart, although I cannot recall the exact pricing. For starters, the smell of this polish was not like any nail polish that I have ever smelled before. It smelled more of mixture between polish and paste, which became more evident as I applied the polish to the nail. Painting the nail was not an easy process as the polish was of a thin, pasty texture. I had to apply two coats in order to cover up missed spots from the first coat. Once applied, the metallic silver color was absolutely gorgeous and probably my favorite thing about this polish. Removing the polish was a tough task however, as the polish did not seem to want to come off the nail. Once I was able to remove all the polish, there was only a little discoloration on my two big toes. Therefore, I give this polish 2 out of 5 stars.
Next on the “3-free” list was SinfulColors Professional polish in mint apple. I purchased this polish for $1.99 at the local Wal-Mart. This polish had a very strong odor to it, almost like walking into a non ventilated nail salon. The actual polish was very thin. I had to apply 3 coats in order to get the desired color of the mint apple. Once applied however, the color was very vibrant and rich with a glossy finish to it. The polish stayed on for an entire week without chipping or cracking. However, trying to get the polish off the nail was a challenge. It took about 10 minutes to remove the polish and even then it was not completely gone from the nail. Once the polish was about 95% removed from the nail, I noticed that there was some discoloration on my toes from the polish, which is evident in the picture below. Overall, I give this polish 2 out of 5 stars. The hassle of applying and removing three coats of polish plus the discoloration did not make me a fan of this “3-free” polish.
Upon further investigation, I found some additional brands that eliminate the use of other toxic ingredients, such as formaldehyde resin and camphor, from their formulas. Being that the majority of polish brands only remove the “big 3” ingredients, the next two companies are the “eco-friendly” brands in my experiment. But first, what exactly are formaldehyde resin and camphor you ask?
Formaldehyde resin- Is a synthetic resin of formaldehyde that ensures the polish bonds to the nail surface. It may also be listed as tosylamide on the label and unlike formaldehyde it is found in the actual nail polish. It can cause allergies, skin abrasions, and immune toxicity. It may even cause respiratory irritation in sensitive individuals.
Camphor- Is a plasticizer that can be produced synthetically from harmful and toxic ingredients. It is said to make polish flexible after it dries, however many argue that it is not necessary to have in polishes. If ingested in large doses it can be poisonous and cause seizures. It may also cause minor side effects such as redness and irritation.
Julep is a brand of nail polish that is free of the “big 3“ chemicals plus formaldehyde resin, making it “4-free.” This polish is very expensive for only being .27 FL OZ., retailing at $14 a bottle. I purchased mine off Amazon.com for $9.99 in the Anisa color, but you can buy directly from their website at
www.julep.com. However personally, I do not think it is worth the $14 price tag. The shape of the bottle differs from most brand nail polishes. It is tall and long versus the traditional shape of short and wide. Because of this, the polish brush is really long in order for it to reach the bottom of the bottle. This made it difficult to paint the nail without excess polish dripping onto the nail. In addition, this polish is very runny although surprisingly, not thin. I only applied one coat and it matched the color on the bottle perfectly. The smell was a standard nail polish smell, nothing out of the ordinary. Removing the polish was fairly painless and there was only a pinch of discoloration on the nail. Overall, I give the Julep nail polish 3 out of 5 stars.
The last brand in my experiment is a “5-free” polish called Ginger + Liz. It is free of the “big 3” ingredients, formaldehyde resin, and camphor. I purchased the “calm down girl” polish and the “dry ice” matte top coat directly from their website at $12/per bottle. This polish smelled the least out of all of the previous polishes. It did have the typical polish smell to it, although it was not as strong as the others. The color was absolutely gorgeous and applying it to the nail was a smooth, easy, fast-drying process. I only applied one coat, but I definitely could have gone with two. The polish is not runny or thin, it just needs a minimum of two coats in order to cover the entire nail. I also loved the matte look to the nail that was achieved by the top coat. The polish did not show any signs of chipping or cracking for the entire week I had it on. Removing the polish was the fastest and easiest nail polish removal process that I have experienced in my entire 22 years of life. I used acetone free remover and the polish came off in one swipe. I didn’t like however, how the polish made my toes brittle once the polish was removed. For this reason, I give the Ginger + Liz polish a 4 out of 5 stars.
What I’ve learned from this experiment is that it’s really a hit or miss with both eco-friendly and eco-friendlier nail polishes. While each polish had characteristics that I absolutely liked or love, they also had areas that could use some improvements. Overall, however, I feel the “4-free” and “5-free” nail polishes are the better choice of polishes to use. On the other hand, I only experimented with a handful of polishes; there are still many different brands out there that are left to be explored!
Feeling inspired by this post and want to rid yourself of some toxic polishes? Head on over to http://www.chemwise.org/nail-polish-request.html where they will recycle any polishes that you may have. Let’s help make this world a greener place!
-xoxo Lavinia R.
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