The first nail polish
dates back to 3000 BC and originates from China. Nail polish back then was
formed by combining ingredients such as gum Arabic, beeswax, egg whites,
vegetable dyes and others. In those days nail polish was reserved for men as a
way of distinguishing higher classes from the lower classes. Metallic colors
such as silver and gold symbolized wealth and power. In China nail polish was
not allowed to be used by lower classes. Ancient Egyptians used henna to color
their nails. After staining with henna the fingernails were orange and would
turn dark red or brown with time. Also in ancient Egypt the color of the nail
polish represented the ranking of social class of each individual. At first
gold and silver were considered as the royal colors reserved for upper class
people. Later red and black became the royal colors. Pale colors of nail polish
were allowed for lower class people. In Europe nail polish fashion disappeared
after the fall of Roman Empire and returned with the arrival of renaissance.
The first nail polish as we know today was produced in 1914 by a Connecticut
based company Cutex. It was a refined version of the paint on vehicles. The
well known nail polish company Revlon produced their first nail polish in
1932.
Image courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
Most nail polishes
contain an extensive list of ingredients, but the basic ingredients of a clear
nail polish are nitrocellulose (film former) and appropriate solvents (such as
butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, alcohol). Solvents are used to mix the other
ingredients in a nail polish to yield a uniform product. Once the nail polish
is applied to the finger nail the solvents evaporate away. Among other
ingredients that are found in nail polish are plasticizers, resins,
pigments, and pearls. Plasticizers are chemicals that help keep the nail
polish flexible and reduce the chance that it will crack or chip. Camphor is
often used as a plasticizer in nail polish. Resins add depth, hardness and
gloss to the film of the nail polish. A commonly added resin is
tosylamide-formaldehyde polymer. Pigments are used to add color to the nail
polish. A common pigment added to nail polish is iron oxide. In order to make a
nail polish shimmery or glittery minerals such as titanium dioxide or ground
mica are added.
Nail polish contains a
lot of chemicals which can be toxic to the human body. They are mostly
considered harmful when inhaled in a larger dose or digested (for example
by biting nails with nail polish on them).
What about nail polish removers?
The most common type
of nail polish remover contains acetone, a volatile organic compound. It is a
very powerful and effective polish remover, but is known to be harsh on the
skin and nails (acetone can make nails more brittle). Ethyl acetate is the active
ingredient in non-acetone nail polish removers. These non-acetone nail polish
removers usually also contain isopropyl alcohol. The alternative non-acetone
nail polish remover is considered to be less toxic.
Image courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
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