Naturally PolishedKeep the tips of your fingers and toes beautifully free of toxins.
By Jo Abbie
If the words “nontoxic nail lacquer” conjure up visions of bland, unfashionable colors, think again. Nail lacquers free of reportedly harmful ingredients are not only being produced by an increasing number of companies, but are on the cutting edge when it comes to the latest trends in nail color. So whether you favor a French manicure or the latest colors from the Paris catwalks, there’s a bottle of harmlessly stylish polish for you.
With people becoming increasingly concerned about the purity of what they put in and on their bodies, it’s no surprise that many are looking for healthier alternatives when it comes to their mani/pedi routines. If anything, it’s a surprise that it took this long. Some in the industry attribute the increased interest in safer cosmetics to the current wave of eco-consciousness. “The increase in ‘green’ started really taking effect last year, after 10 years of trying to educate the public,” says Nubar spokesperson Terry Akins. Nubar is a nail polish line created by founder Noubar Abrahamian when he discovered a family member had cancer. “Noubar realized that there were harmful ingredients in cosmetics, the worst offender being nail polish, and sought alternative answers,” explains Akins.
The three “bad guys” in the nail industry, the ingredients that are increasingly being omitted from nail polish formulas, are formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). A plasticizing agent often used in nail lacquer formulas, DBP has been banned for use in cosmetic products in the European Union. According to the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com), DBP, toluene and formaldehyde have all been linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, and toxicity of the immune and nervous systems. All three products are on the California Safe Cosmetics Act list of ingredients that must be disclosed due to their links to cancer and birth defects.
Thankfully, the industry has responded to the public’s growing concern about these substances, and many quality nail brands are free of all three. While some of these are smaller, boutique beauty brands (such as Nubar, Sparitual, and Rescue Beauty Lounge) even nail giant OPI, which has become the brand ubiquitous to nail salon shelves, removed DBP, toluene and formaldehyde from its products more than a year ago.
While all this talk of toxic ingredients and their potential effects is not a lot of fun, there’s a lot of merriment amidst the brands that eschew them. At Sparitual, products in their Spring 2008 DBP-Free Color Collection sport sassy names such as Plugged In, Aroused, Epiphany and Paradigm Shift. And the paradigm seems to be shifting industry wide. At OPI, their Spring/Summer ’08 India Collection features quirkily dubbed shades including MonSooner or Later, I’m India Mood for Love, and Keys to My Karma.
At Nubar, the color of the season is hot pink, and Geisha Blaze is their best seller. They also have color collections named after everything from wine to flowers. “Nubar allows you to have all the colors and the fun at the same time,” notes Akins. “You no longer have to choose between health and beauty when you are choosing a nail polish.”
WHERE TO BUY
Nubar nail lacquers are available at Nail Polish, Formaldehyde Free, Toluene, Phthalate, French Manicure
OPI nail lacquers are used at many local nail salons. For your nearest location, go to Welcome to OPI.com
Rescue Beauty Lounge nail lacquers are available at rescue beauty lounge
Sparitual nail lacquers are used locally at Preston Wynne spas in Los Gatos and Saratoga, or go to www.sparitual.com
01 Sparitual Disco Inferno, Mindful, Free Bird and Plugged In, $9
02 Nubar Hot Orange, $6.99
03 OPI ElePhantastic Pink, $8.50
04 Rescue Beauty Lounge Chinoise Red, Recycle, Yellow Fever and Purple Haze, $18 each
