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I was surprised when I did some research awhile back on cosmetics, that nail polish is one of the worst offenders for nasty, toxic ingredients. I am not big on cosmetics or even nail polish but occasionally I did like to spruce up my toes with some candy apple red nail polish since my preferred footwear is the flip-flop. And my daughter, who is totally girly would love to wear it all times but I couldn’t in good conscious let her wear it too much if it were as nasty as some research has said. Also, some of the ingredients would be especially bad for little girls (see below).
Some of the ingredients of conventional nail polish are scary…Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), formaldehyde and toluene. Dibutyl Phthalate is a plasticizing ingredient known to affect hormone function. Studies have linked phthalates to early puberty in girls, uterine problems in women, low sperm counts in men, and birth defects. Toluene is said to cause liver damage, reproductive and developmental problems, skin irritation and respiratory tract irritation. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen and inhaling the fumes can result in watery eyes, headache, burning in the throat, and labored breathing.
Just think about it…these toxins are dangerous when breathed in and nail polish is one of the smelliest beauty items around. Just think about how strong smelling it is in a nail salon. That stuff is potent. And this doesn’t address the toxins making their way into your body through your nail bed. Almost all brands of commercial nail polish contain toluene and formaldehyde and many contain Dibutyl Phthalate…except in progessive countries like the European Union which has banned all pthalates.
So are we Dying to Look Good? I kept thinking about this as I found my 4 year old daughter getting her nails painted by daddy the other day. Obviously she knew she wouldn’t get anywhere with me if she asked for nail polish so daddy got her some and he was painting her fingernails and toenails for her. After the initial cringe I decided to see if I could find some safer nail polish online. I was happy to find that there are a few options.
Rescue Beauty Lounge - Free of toluene, formaldehyde, and pthalates and LOTS of hot colors including a red, my fave.
OPI Nail Polish - This is a big nail polish company that removed toluene, formaldehyde, and pthalates from their formulations last year. Lots of options and colors.
Nubar Nail Polish - A healthy alternative for beautiful nails. These are free of toluene, formaldehyde, and pthalates. They also come in TONS of gorgeous colors. I like the Get Hot Tech Kit. My daughter and I would have a blast with those colors.
See also:
Suncoat Natural Nail Polish Remover - Earth friendly product which is 100% Soya and Corn based. It is naturally derived from farm crops and does not contain any petroleum ingredients. Non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and is also readily biodegradable.
Sante Nail Polish Remover - Acetate-free Nail Polish Remover, based on organic ethanol and orange oil. Ingredients: Alcohol, citrus dulcis, ricinus communis, aqua (water), parfum (organic orange oil).
No more cringing when my daughter asks to paint her nails!
More Info on: Formaldehyde Toluene Phthalates
Sarah said,
May 5, 2008 at 12:05 pm:
Thank you so much! I had been looking for this. My 3yo loves to have her toes painted. How about non toxic polish remover? Where can you find this? The regular stuff is really nasty for you.
Thanks for all your info!
Sarahs last blog post..My Green Baby!
Tiffany said,
May 5, 2008 at 12:18 pm:
Sarah,
Just added some. Thx!
Kelly said,
May 5, 2008 at 1:01 pm:
I had so been thinking about researching this, as I love having cute toenails in summer. Thanks for all the hard work you did researching! I got a pedicure for the first time last year with a friend and was disturbed by being unable to remove the polish myself with regular remover! Totally not natural.
Emily Childers said,
May 5, 2008 at 4:13 pm:
I had heard this stuff was bad awhile ago, but I didn’t know there were any alternatives. THANK YOU! I’m excited for cute toes again: )
Emily Childerss last blog post..Cinco de Mayo/International Midwife Day/my b-day
Ted said,
May 5, 2008 at 4:51 pm:
I think a directory of sources for your findings would be great.
If you are saying that toluene, formaldehyde, and pthalates are bad for us, then where can I see the findings?
I don’t disbelieve you, but I want the findings to back it up.
I want to protect my little girl the same as everybody else, but I want more than just someone saying thus and such…:)
Teds last blog post..Rooster’s Family Restaurant
Tiffany said,
May 5, 2008 at 5:10 pm:
Ted, via an Internet search you too can find the side effects and dangers of each individual ingredient… toluene, formaldehyde, and pthalates.
Also see Toxic Nail Polish:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=toxic+nail+polish&btnG=Search
Linda said,
May 5, 2008 at 5:44 pm:
I’ve known about this for a while and have been hesitant to paint my toes because of it. In Dr. Greene’s “Raising Baby Green” he even mentions not polishing your fingernails as the polish chips and goes into your child’s mouth and food and yours for that matter. Also, are you sure about OPI? I know that they refuse to sign the Safe Cosmetic Act along with Orly so I am hesitant to believe anything they say. Although they are located in California and they have just banned the use of pthalates.
Tiffany said,
May 5, 2008 at 6:10 pm:
Linda,
I can only go by what they claim. I haven’t found anything to disprove it but OPI would not be my first purchase choice personally.
Carrie said,
May 5, 2008 at 7:51 pm:
Awesome post Tiffany. I rarely polish my nails but I like cute toes in the summertime, and I was wondering about some of the brand names. I linked to your blog post from my article on natural manicures.
Carries last blog post..My Dryer Smells Like Cod Liver Oil
HappyYogaMama said,
May 5, 2008 at 9:42 pm:
Thanks for the info!
HappyYogaMamas last blog post..Camping - Day 2 - The Good One
Vicky Harper said,
May 6, 2008 at 10:50 pm:
I’ve been using Honeybee Gardens Nail Polish with my DD, because it’s non-toxic and she bites her nails. http://www.honeybeegardens.com/
It doesn’t taste good, but it’s OK if she eats it.
I searched and searched for a non-toxic one when she first wanted her nails painted. Actually, it makes since for all of us, when you consider that we often touch what we eat, and what our kids eat, too.
Rachel said,
May 8, 2008 at 8:18 am:
I too just learned recently about the dangers of conventional nail polish. It was a “duh” moment. Now my 3-year-old daughter and I polish with some afordable non-toxic, odorless nail polish that is marketed to pregnant women. It’s called Polished Mama and they also have a nice, moisturizing nail polish remover. We sell both at my store at http://www.EuphoriaMaternity.com.
nell said,
May 8, 2008 at 3:44 pm:
Luckily, for me, I’m not into nail polish much at all. It never stays on long. Then I just have this chipped ugly nail thing going on.
nells last blog post..Boy or Girl?
Jill said,
May 12, 2008 at 5:37 pm:
Not sure if you’ve heard of this one but you might want to check out http://www.butterlondon.com. Their polishes are Fomaldehyde, Toluene and DBP free and their colors are oh so cute!
mama k said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:38 pm:
Hey, I don’t know if the skin deep site is not updated, but OPI is still listed w/ all the bad stuff.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/brand.php?brand_id=619
Any ideas?
mama ks last blog post..I’m a night person.
Kate said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:51 pm:
OPI has a toluene free line that is being sold at target I think it is called Nicole. And here is the blurb from the opi site http://www.opi.com/faq.asp#5a but it’s their words… This is a serious weakness of mine but I try to be more strict with my kids….
Jen said,
May 18, 2008 at 11:46 pm:
I discovered this awhile back and started checking out the bottles of color now. I don’t know if you can buy Wet ‘n Wild where you are but it’s about the cheapest stuff out there, great for kidlets and is free of the chemicals. I actually just bought from Revelon stuff too which stated that it was toluene & formaldehyde free.
Big fan of your blog, by the way. First time commenting though!
Jens last blog post..Where We Are At
crunchy domestic goddess said,
May 23, 2008 at 8:30 pm:
thanks for the great resource.
since my daughter is interested in having her nails painted now, i will be checking these out for sure.
crunchy domestic goddesss last blog post..Raising Awareness about the Life-Shattering Condition of Obstetric Fistula