What you should know about nail polish

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. 

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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. 

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