Your Nail Polish Could Kill You

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather go out in a skydiving tragedy than be put down by my nail polish. Sound dramatic? Believe it or not, your nail polish has the power to kill you, and your unborn baby. Really.

If you’re a nail polish aficionado, you’ve probably heard of the “Toxic-Trio”. It refers to the three most harmful chemicals contained in most nail care products: formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate, two of which are among the over 1,300 chemicals banned from use in cosmetics in the European Union. But in the United States, where fewer than a dozen chemicals are prohibited in such products, there are no restrictions on any of these chemicals. Toluene and DBP are widely known to be developmental toxins which show many harmful effects over a period of time (including miscarriages, birth defects, impaired cognitive and kidney function, ataxia and chronic pain), while formaldehyde is established as a potent carcinogen (ie. high tendency to cause cancer).

The Lies

In a recent research by the California DTSC (Department of Toxic Substance Control) involving 25 randomly chosen nail care products (like OPI, Essie, Cacie, etc.) that are sold and used in the majority of nail salons, almost all of the products that claimed their polish didn’t include toluene actually contained higher amounts of it than the products that did not make any claims at all. Brands with “toluene-free” written on the packaging were found to be flat-out lying, while five out of the seven with labels claiming being  “toxic-trio-free” were found to contain toluene or DBP, or both!

The study’s results conflicted with the claims made by the nail care manufacturers — almost all of them were lying.

In fact, toluene was found most frequently, and in higher concentrations in products with “toxic-trio” related claims than in traditional products — ten of the twelve products with “toluene-free” claims did, in fact, contain toluene. Chemicals were also detected whose purpose, property, human toxicity, and environmental fate, are unknown to DTSC, and harmful chemicals butyl acetate and ethyl acetate were present in all but one product.

“In the face of growing health concerns, some polish companies have said that they have removed certain controversial chemicals from their products. But random testing of some of these products by government agencies showed the chemicals were still present. Some of the chemicals in nail products are known to cause cancer, others have been linked to abnormal fetal development, miscarriages and other harm to reproductive health. Certain cosmetic color additives — particularly a type of brilliant red — have been shown by researchers to cause [a brownish] skin discoloration. A number of studies have also found that cosmetologists — a group that includes manicurists, as well as hairdressers and makeup artists — have elevated rates of death from Hodgkin’s disease, of low birth-weight babies and of multiple myeloma, a form of cancer.” – The New York Times

Keep reading to find out what brands are safe:

In 1976, the cosmetics industry itself established the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, a panel that is supposed to “review and assess the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics in an open, unbiased and expert manner,” according to its website. But the panel is financed entirely by the Personal Care Products Council, the industry lobbying group. The panel’s offices are also in the same building in Washington as the products council.

The problem is, no public authority tests the stated ingredients of products like nail polish for accuracy — let alone safety — prior to sale. In other words, cosmetics companies can lie, and women’s health is simply not a priority for the American government.

In 2005, lawmakers in California proposed banning DBP from cosmetic products sold or manufactured in the state. Industry lobbyists flooded the State Capitol (some bearing gift baskets of lipstick and nail polish), spending over a half-million dollars fighting the ban, according to state records. Some of the country’s best-known cosmetics companies — Estée Lauder, Mary Kay and OPI, among others — weighed in against it. The bill ultimately failed.

“Stories of illness and tragedy abound at nail salons across the country; of children born slow or ‘special,’ of miscarriages and cancers, of coughs that will not go away and painful skin afflictions. The stories have become so common that older manicurists warn women of child-bearing age away from the business.” – The New York Times

Does all this mean we have to do away with nail polish? Well, kindof. Unless you’re going to send a sample to a lab to independently verify what chemicals are in the product (since it seems ingredients lists aren’t to be trusted), then you’ll never really know what you’re being exposed to. That said, it’s good to know that there are quite a few options that claim to be much safer than the mainstream brands.

“[Nail salons are] a beautiful industry, it makes people feel better,” Ms. Colon, who owned a salon in Brooklyn, said in an interview, a faint wheeze just audible behind her ready laugh. “But if a lot of people knew the truth behind it, it wouldn’t happen. They wouldn’t go.”

Healthier Choices

Following the toxic report, Butter London (whose polishes were not included in the study) quickly issued a statement announcing proudly that their company has been “the pioneering force” behind “toxic-trio-free” nail lacquer, noting that all their products are without formaldehyde, toluene and DBP (dibutyl phthalate). In fact, Butter followed suit after Zoya, another nail polish brand with by far the largest selection of colors we’ve seen, was the first to be “five-free” by remove toxic ingredients such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and DBP (dibutyl phthalate) from their formulations.

Butter London was founded in 2005 by Sasha Muir, a British entrepreneur, alongside Nonie Creme, a premier fashion manicurist in London, as its founding creative director. Both Butter and Zoya claim to be the first company to sell non-toxic nail lacquer in the US and, as such, Butter London has earned the praise and support of fashion A-listers such as Alexander Wang, Victoria Beckham, Betsey Johnson, Vena Cava, Calvin Klein and Issa, among others. We tried Butter London polishes ($16/bottle) and, unfortunately, found them to have a strong chemical smell and chip relatively quickly.

Since then, several other boutique brands have popped up that have taken non-toxic a step further and claim to rule out not just three, but all toxic ingredients, removing the strong smell along with the other common toxins like phthalates, biphenyl A, xylene, ethyl acetate, acetone, FD&C colors, formaldehyde or colophony resin and camphor.

So how can you be sure you’re getting a truly non-toxic polish, and not just whitewashed marketing lies? The truth is: you can’t. Buttttt your best bet is to go for brands that have a genuine story behind them, that are water-based and odorless. Ones with mineral-based pigments (instead of synthetics) are even better.

Check out the fab colors offered by these fifteen “toxin-free” lines:

1. Acquarella ($16/bottle) uses a unique water-based system that is odorless, toxin-free, and dries in 5-10 minutes.

2. Honeybee Gardens ($13) is water-based but dries in 4-6 hours, low VOC, free of FD&C colors, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, xylene, or formaldehyde and removes with rubbing alcohol.

3. Scotch Naturals ($15) lacquers are not just “three-free” or “five-free”, but claim to be “all-free” — ie. 100% free of all phthalates, parabens, and all toxins. Their quick drying technology has left out the noxious odors while still allowing for salon-quality durability.

4. Piggy Paint ($8) has a great story behind it and is non-toxic, odorless, made for kids, water-based formula without formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone.

5. Suncoat ($9) makes water-based polishes that are non-toxic, kid-safe, have won awards, and are made in Ontario, Canada at their own facility. They also created the first water-based low-odor, eco-friendly, peel-away nail polish featuring natural colors and mineral pigments instead of synthetics — no nail polish remover needed (which makes it great for traveling). It gets harder to remove the longer you leave it on, so it’s recommended that you remove it (by soaking your fingers for five minutes and then peeling it off) after two or three days, so you don’t damage your nails.

6. LVX ($16) makes a long lasting, chip resistant and gel-like formula that’s “five-free” and made in the USA.

7. Peacekeeper ($8) is made without dyes, formaldehyde, toluene, or phthalates. Peacekeeper Cause-Metics is the first cosmetics line to give all of its after-tax, distributable profits to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues.

8. True Natural ($11) is “five-free”, odorless, made in Germany and comes in some pretty funky colors.

9. Priti NYC ($15) polish is “five-free” and comes in a range of sophisticated colors.

10. Safe Nail Polish ($11) is non-toxic, odorless, dries in 5 minutes and made in the USA.

11. Nubar ($5) polishes are “three-free” and they list their ingredients and even publish their material data sheets publicly.

12. SpaRitual ($6.50 – $15) polishes are “four-free” and come in a huge range of colors.

13. No-Miss ($8) says they “use natural resources to develop non-chemical, non-cancerous products without harming the environment”.

14. RGB ($18) polishes are “five-free” and have a very high-fashion feel.

15. ZOYA ($9) has an enormous array of colors — the largest we’ve seen. They also claim to be the first to remove toxic ingredients such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and DBP (dibutyl phthalate) from their formulations. (Note: in the study by California DTSC, Zoya was free of the “toxic trio”, but had high levels of Acetone.)

…and here’s my favorite non-toxic nail polish remover (it smells like lavender!): Organic Lavender Nail Polish Remover

Can’t find them at the drugstore? Check Whole Foods, your local health food store, or buy them online. I recommend ordering one bottle from each and seeing which work better for you. Each one has a different formulation, and while some may smell toxic (toss those ones in the trash), others won’t. Some take a long time to dry, and some dry quickly. Some will chip quickly and some will be super durable. Some will be easy to remove (some even peel off!), and yet others may be harder to remove. Keep trying these brands until you fall in love.

Not sure what to do with your old, toxic nail polish? Here’s a great idea.

Test them out and let us know what you think in the comments below!