Lacquer Toxicity - 3-free formulae are NOT created equal

Skin Deep Toxicity Levels for Polishes taken from the Environmental Working Group's CosmeticsDatabase.com

CND - 3

Nfu-Oh - 3

Sephora by OPI - 3

American Apparel - 4

Misa - 4

Revlon - 4

Shades by Barielle - 4

Zoya - 4

BB Couture For Nails - 5

China Glaze - 5

Color Club - 5

Nubar - 5

OPI - 5

Rescue Beauty Lounge - 5

RGB - 5

Diamond Cosmetics - 6

Ginger+Liz - 6

Illamasqua - 6

NARS - 6

Orly - 6

SpaRitual - 6

The worst ingredient identified by Skin Deep is Triphenyl Phosphate, effects are listed as: Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Neurotoxicity, Allergies/Immunotoxicity; Occupational Hazards.

China Glaze, Illamasqua, Nubar, OPI, Orly, RBL, RGB, Shades by Barielle, and SpaRitual all contain Triphenyl Phosphate.

The list of ingredients below does assume that companies are not making massive changes from one batch to the next of their 3-free formula. I am surprised by the CND result of such a low toxicity reading. However, I suppose it makes sense, since these are one of the most recent releases. Which I also suppose makes Ginger+Liz high toxicity reading so surprising.

The most toxic ingredients as per "Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database" results are bolded in each of the lists below.

American Apparel Ingredients

Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Isopropyl Alcohol, Camphor, Benzophenone-1

BB Couture For Nails Ingredients

butyl acetate; ethyl acetate; nitrocellulose; acetyl tributyl citrate/phthalic anhydride/trimellitic anhydride/glycols copolymer; isopropyl alcohol; stearalkonium hectorite; adipic acid/fumaric acid/phthalic acid/tricyclodecane dimethanol copolymer; citric acid; titanium dioxide; red 6 barium lake; red 7 calcium lake; red 34 calcium lake; yellow 5 aluminum lake; yellow 10 aluminum lake; blue 1 aluminum lake; ferric ammonium ferrocyanide; red iron oxide; black iron oxide; guanine; bismuth oxychloride; mica; violet 2; polyethylene terephthalate; synthetic fluorphlogopite; Sucrose acetate isobutyrate; dimethicone; diethylhexyl adipate

China Glaze Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; nitrocellulose; propyl acetate; tosylamide formaldehyde resin; isopropyl alcohol; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; triphenyl phosphate; ethyl tosylamide; camphor; stearalkonium bentonite; diacetone alcohol; stearalkonium hectorite; benzophenone-1; citric acid; kaolin; dimethicone; mica; ferric ammonium ferrocyanide

CND Ingredients

butyl acetate; ethyl acetate; nitrocellulose; acetyl tributyl citrate; phthalic anhydride/trimellitic anhydride/glycols copolymer; isopropyl alcohol; titanium dioxide; adipic acid/fumaric acid/phthalic acid/tricyclodecane dimethanol copolymer; adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/trimellitic anyhydride copolymer; sucrose acetate isobutyrate; stearalkonium hectorite; citric acid; ethyl tosylamide; iron oxides

Color Club Ingredients

butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, nitrocellulose, acrylic resin, isopropyl alcohol, camphor, benzophenone #1, may contain: D&C Red #6, D&C Red #7, D&C Red #34, iron oxides, titanium oxide, ferric ferrocyanide, trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, bismuth oxychloride, D&C Yellow #5

Diamond Cosmetics Ingredients

Butyl Acetate; Ethyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer; Isopropyl Alcohol; Stearalkonium Hectorite; Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer; Citric Acid; colorants; Polyethylene Terephthalate; Calcium Sodium Borosilicate; Titanium Dioxide; Tin Oxides Silica; Aluminum Powder; Iron Oxides; Aluminum Powder; Fragrance 

Ginger+Liz Ingredients

Butyl Acetate; Ethyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anydride/Glycols Copolymer; Isopropyl Alcohol; Stearalkonium Hectorite; Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer; Citric Acid; colors; Polytheylene Terepthalate; Calcium Sodium Borosilicate; Titanium Dioxide; Tin Oxides Silica; Aluminum Powder; Iron Oxides; Aluminum Powder; Fragrance

Illamasqua Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; nitrocellulose; propyl acetate; tosylamide-formaldehyde resin; isopropyl alcohol; triphenyl phosphate; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; stearalkonium bentonite; ethyl tosylamide; camphor; diacetone alcohol; benzophenone-1; citric acid; dimethicone; titanium dioxide; mica; bismuth oxychloride; ferric ferrocyanide; aluminum powder

Nfu-Oh Ingredients

Ethyl Acetate; Butyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Isobutyl Acetate; Isopropyl Alcohol; Adipic Acid/Neopentyl; Silica; Styrene-Acrylates Copolymer; N-Butyl Alcohol; Cl 26100

Misa Ingredients

butyl acetate; ethyl acetate; nitrocellulose; adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/trimellitic anhydride copolymer; acetyl tributyl citrate; isopropyl alcohol; red 5 lake; acrylates copolymer; yellow 5 lake; stearalkonium bentonite; red 7 lake; styrene/acrylates copolymer; n-butyl alcohol; silica; benzophenone-1; titanium dioxide; trimethylpentanediyl dibenzoate; polyvinyl butyral

NARS Ingredients

ETHYL ACETATE ; BUTYL ACETATE ; ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL ; ADIPIC ACID/NEOPENTYL GLYCOL/TRIMELLITIC ANHYDRIDE COPOLYMER ; NITROCELLULOSE ; TRIPHENYL PHOSPHATE ; TRIMETHYL PENTANYL DIISOBUTYRATE ; CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE ; ETHYL TOSYLAMIDE ; STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE ; DIACETONE ALCOHOL ; TOSYLAMIDE/EPOXY RESIN ; SUCROSE ACETATE ISOBUTYRATE ; BENZOPHENONE-1 ; STEARALKONIUM HECTORITE ; ETOCRYLENE ; CAMPHOR ; CITRIC ACID ; DIMETHICONE ; SILICA ; MAY CONTAIN: MICA ; CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE) ; CI 77491 CI 77492 CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES) ; CI 19140 (YELLOW 5 LAKE) ; CI 15850 (RED 6 LAKE, RED 7 LAKE) ; CI 15880 (RED 34 LAKE) ; CI 77510 (FERRIC AMMONIUM FERROCYANIDE) ; CI 75170 (GUANINE) ; CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE) ; CI 77000 (ALUMINUM POWDER) ; CI 73360 (RED 30 LAKE) ; CI 60725 (VIOLET 2) ; CI 47000 (YELLOW 11) ; CI 26100 (RED 17) ; CI 17200 (RED 33) ; CI 45370 (ORANGE 5) ; CI 42090 (BLUE 1)

Nubar Ingredients

Ethyl Acetate; Butyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol; Triphenyl Phosphate; Trimethyl Pentanyl Diisobutyrate; Butyl Alcohol; Stearalkonium Hectorite; Citric Acid; Benzophenone-1; Dimethicone; Mica; Titanium Dioxide; Black Iron Oxide, Red Iron Oxide; FD&C Yellow #5; Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide; Bismuth Oxychloride; D&C Red #7; D&C Red #6; D&C Red #34

OPI Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; nitrocellulose; propyl acetate; tosylamide/formaldehyde resin; isopropyl alcohol; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; triphenyl phosphate; ethyl tosylamide; camphor; stearalkonium bentonite; diacetone alcohol; stearalkonium hectorite; benzophenone-1; citric acid; dimethicone; alumina

Orly Ingredients

butyl acetate; ethyl acetate; isopropyl alcohol; nitrocellulose; adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/ trimellitic anhydride copolymer; triphenyl phosphate; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; stearalkonium bentonite; ethyl tosylamide; tosylamide/epoxy resin; sucrose acetate isobutyrate; stearalkonium hectorite; etocrylene; benzophenone-1; citric acid; acetyl tributyl citrate; aluminum powder; water;calcium sodium borosilicate; dimethicone; polyethylene phthalate; polyvinyl butyral; propyl acetate; silica; styrene/acrylates copolymer; synthetic fluorphigopite; tin oxide; Trimethylsiloxysilicate; mica; bismuth oxychloride; ferric ferrocyanide; ammonium ferrocyanide; titanium dioxide

Rescue Beauty Lounge Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; isopropyl alcohol; adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/trimellitic anhydride copolymer; nitrocellulose; triphenyl phosphate; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; stearalkonium bentonite; diacetone alcohol; ethyl tosylamide; sucrose acetate isobutyrate; tosylamide/epoxy resin; stearalkonium hectorite; camphor; etocrylene; benzophenone-1; citric acid; aluminum powder; polyethythene terephthalate

RGB Ingredients

ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, nitrocellulose, adipic acid / neopentyl glycol / trimellitic anhydride copolymer, trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, triphenyl phosphate, stearalkonium hectorite, diacetone alcohol, citric acid, dimethicone, benzophenone-1, red iron oxide, ferric ammonium ferrocyanide, mica, titanium dioxide

Revlon Ingredients

Ethyl Acetate; Butyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Tri-Benzoin; Isopropyl Alcohol; Propyl Acetate; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Stearalkonium Bentonite; Serica (Silk Powder); Dimethicone; PPG-2 Dimethicone; Triacetin; Citric Acid; Malic Acid; Tetrabutyl Phenyl Hydroxybenzoate; Stearalkonium Hectonite; Calcium Sodium Borosilicate; Silica; Alumina; Polyacrylate-4

Sephora by OPI

butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, nitrocellulose, tosylamide/epoxy resin, acetyl tributyl citrate, isopropyl alcohol, stearalkonium bentonite, benzophenone-1, silica, trimethylpentanediyl dibenzoate, polyvinyl butyral, cl 77891, cl 15850, cl 77491, cl 77120.

Shades by Barielle Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; isopropyl alcohol; nitrocellulose; polyester resin; trimethyl pentanediol diisobutyrate; triphenyl phosphate; stearalkonium hectorite; benzophenone-1; ferric ammonium ferrocyanide; titanium dioxide; bismuth oxychloride; mica

SpaRitual Ingredients

ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, nitrocellulose, adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/ trimellitic anhydride copolymer, isopropyl alcohol, propyl acetate, trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, triphenyl phosphate, butyl alcohol, stearalkonium hectorite, stearalkonium bentonite, benzophenone-1, citric acid, dimethicone, ethyl tosylamide, tosylamide/epoxy resin, sucrose acetate copolymer, acetyl tributyl citrate, polyvinyl butyral, trimethylsiloxylsilicate, titanium dioxide, mica, silica, bismuth oxychloride, ferric ammonium forrocyanide, aluminum powder, tin oxide, water

Zoya Ingredients

butyl acetate; propyl acetate; ethyl acetate; nitrocellulose; isopropyl alcohol; polyester resin; camphor; stearalkonium hectorite; benzophenone-1; titanium dioxide; iron oxide; ferric ammonium ferrocyanide


The polishes in the picture are:

China Glaze V

CND Guava

Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money

Nfu-Oh 124

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Patient

OPI My Private Jet (original)

Orly GingerLily

Rescue Beauty Lounge Starfish Patrick

RGB Cognac

Revlon Peach Nectar

Shades by Barielle Driven

Sephora by OPI Brainiac

SpaRitual Fall in Love

Zoya Austine

Brown Ombre Gradation Manicure

Fam's comment, "Did you have to pay extra for that?"

Revlon Sheer Nude (thumb)
CND Desert Suede (pointer)
SpaRitual InnerSanctum (middle)
Revlon Totally Toffee (ring)
Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme (pinky)















(Really bad bathroom light pic in an attempt to get all the fingers in one shot!)
































I wore this gradation for three days before anyone noticed the oddity.

It blended well enough that I'd almost consider this work appropriate, depending on your field.

All of the colors wore really well, and the small bit of chipping that occurred could be completely blamed on moving family to a new house.

The colors were not a perfect mix, but "close enough."

I've never done a full mani of any of these lacquers, so no true longevity readings.

Nail Treatments: what works, and what works best ...

Once you start polishing your nails, you kinda need to keep up with it. Even the "safest" polishes stain my nails a rather sickening yellow color.

In all my 'net searches for "how do I keep polish from staining my nails," the gurus say use a base coat. In my experience, it doesn't work. I've never gone without a base coat, and I still have staining. Maybe you need two coats of base, but that's an extra step (and dry time) I haven't tested yet.


To this point, I've used -


Base Coats -
Zoya Anchor
OPI Nail Envy Formaldehye Free
Nubar Nu Nail
Nubar Foundation

They all work. I don't think the base coat does much more than smooth out the nail bed and give some gripping surface to your lacquer. You are paying for their advertising, so I'd go with the cheapest 3-free base you can find. In my case, either Zoya Anchor at $8 or Nubar Foundation at $7 depending on the deals I find during polish acquisitions. I suspect Revlon offers a reasonably priced 3-free base.

As with every treatment, finding 3-free is getting easier, but even the companies that tout their 3-free lacquer are selling 3-full treatments. Buyer beware.


Top Coats -
Zoya Armor is pretty much the only slow dry top coat I currently have ... it was a freebie with purchase. It didn't get regular use until I started topping my manis with Nubar Diamont.

Being that top coats have a very similar ingredients list to base coats, I'd find the cheapest 3-free and use it for both base and top. Once again, I suspect Revlon has a good candidate.


Quick Dry Top Coats -
This is where companies have to stretch the imagination of their chemists.

These quick dries are either 3-full or simply don't work:
Seche Vite
Posche
Zoya drops
Qtica drops

If you still insist on putting a layer of silicone (dimethicone, etc.) on your drying nails, it would be less expensive to pick up a bottle at the hardware store.


My two HG speed tops are:
CND Air Dry
Nubar Diamont

CND Air Dry was my favorite for a long time. It drys to a hard coat in about 30 minutes. I had to be careful, but could return to typing within minutes of an "Air Dry" coat. This is the mani that could be extended for seven days. Every once in a while, I'd follow an Air Dry mani with Zoya top coat and the sides of my mani would give before the tips would.

Air Dry plays nicely with tops coats, though it takes a while to dry to a hard enough finish for normal or extreme use.

Awesome longevity.


Nubar Diamont now edges out Air Dry for ease of returning to normal activity. This is, literally, a half hour mani (tops) from start to finish. However, I sacrifice longevity. Diamont is the dominatrix of the treatment bunch. She doesn't like ANYONE on top. Not even herself.

Diamont with a Zoya Armor layer two days later will peel within a day. Ruined mani.

Diamont with a second Diamont layer two days later does not hold or look good. Another ruined mani. She's particular.

The only way I've been able to extend my Diamont mani (from two to four days) is with a topcoat underneath Diamont.

So this is how I've arrived at my current "pressed-for-time" layer system:
1 base
2 lacquers
1 top
1 Diamont
- maybe four days of wear


If I'm not in a hurry:
1 base
2 lacquers
1 Air Dry
- add top coats every three days or so to extend mani for upwards of seven days

To be honest, I end up with enough bare nail near the cuticle with my "Air Dry" system that even though the polish is in good condition, it just looks odd. And I change my polish based on nail growth, rather than polish aging concerns.

NP - Ingredients

Nail Polish Ingredients and Currently Available Alternatives

Here are the three (so far) ingredients I try to stay away from in polishes: Formaldehyde, Phthalates, and Toluene.


Formaldehye
According to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) at Physical & Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Formaldehyde (at 37%) is Toxic and Corrosive. "Probably human carcinogen. Mutagen. May cause damage to kidneys ... Very destructive of mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract, eyes and skin."

Formaldehyde in nail treatment lacquers is usually in a resin form that while not as dangerous as Formaldehyde, is still considered "Harmful if swallowed or inhaled. May be harmful in contact with skin."


Phthalate (specifically Dibutyl Phthalate)
The MSDS states that Dibutyl Phthalate is harmful and dangerous for the environment. "May cause reproductive harm ... Very toxic to aquatic organisms."

Other phthalates are safe though, right? Not necessarily.


Toluene
The MSDS states that Toluene is Toxic and Flammable. "Toxic by inhalation, ingestion or by absorption through skin ... Experimental teratogen (birth defects)."


Here's one of the biggest problems with chemicals in our world, we know how this ONE chemical acts and reacts with the environment and in our body. We don't know how these chemicals act and interact with each other.

Solution? Currently the solution is to avoid as many chemicals as possible, especially fat soluble chemicals, because the science to study all these interactions is economically infeasible at the moment.

Fat soluble chemicals are not flushed out of your system. They are either stored for the rest of your life, or metabolized into substances that can be flushed from your system (which is why you can OD on fat soluble vitamins, but not water soluble). And by your system, I mean your internal body and cells.


Results on Kira's Manicure/Pedicure routine:
I've tossed all my old OPI polishes (I really miss some of them) and have ONLY the following in my cupboard - new OPI Australia and Russian formulas (Toluene and Phthalate free) and Revlon lacquers (all 3 free).


An Affair in Red Square
Rubble for your Thoughts
St. Petersburgundy
Suzi Says Da!




A True Ab-original
Brisbane Bronze
Canberra't Without You
Don't Melbourne the Toast
Kangarooby
Red Hot Ayers Rock
Suzi Loves Sydney



Revlon - Who woulda thought ol' Revlon would have an up to date polish formula?

It rates a 4 out of 10 on Skin Deep's toxicity scale.

Revlon Nail Enamel Ingredients List (from bottle):
Ethyl Acetate
Butyl Acetate
Nitrocellulose
Tri-Benzoin
Isopropyl Alcohol
Propyl Acetate
Acetyl Tributyl Citrate
Stearalkonium Bentonite
Serica (Silk Powder)
Dimethicone
PPG-2 Dimethicone
Triacetin
Citric Acid
Malic Acid
Tetrabutyl Phenyl Hydroxybenzoate
Stearalkonium Hectorite
Calcium Sodium Borosilicate
Silica
Alumina
Polyacrylate-4
and the May contain mess that generally gives lacquer its color

How does one read the extra tiny ingredients list on the back of the bottle? One sticks said bottle under her trusty Leica Microscope and hopes she interpreted the smears correctly. :)

Sheer Nude - nice, basic, no shimmer nude; so very hard to find
Iced Spice
Rosezing - sort of a bronzed copper
Totally Toffee



Other companies I may try: Butter London, China Glaze, and Zoya.

Butter London

Free of all 3 chemicals, and even better, so is their top and bottom coat treatments (practically unheard of). At least, according to their website. They would not send me either ingredients lists or MSDSs. Their rep. did tell me that they list the ingredients on the box. Oh really, that is so incredibly freakin' helpful. Purchase our item to figure out what we have in it. Thanks.

Problem, could that top be any more difficult to manipulate? Honestly, I much prefer a symmetrical applicator that I can maneuver easily.


China Glaze



Beginning with the Audry Hepburn homage "Something Blue" - their newest formulations are Toluene and Phthalate free, but according to their rep., they do have Formaldehyde resin (just like new OPIs).


Zoya


Zoya strongly stresses how safe their Polish is ... quoted, word for [missing] word, from their website:

"FREE of POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CHEMICALS. Chemicals that may cancer and birth defects. Unlike other nail lacquers, ZOYA does NOT contain formaldehyde, toluene or dibutyl phthalate (DBP). So Don’t Risk your or your babies wellbeing, Make the SAFE choice, the SMART choice, the STYLISH choice…CHOOSE ZOYA"

Their base and top coat were re-formulated from the original formulas (which were NOT safe and smart).

Zoya Anchor ingredients:
Butyl Acetate
Ethyl Acetate
SD40B Alcohol
Propyl Acetate
Nitrocellulose
Isopropyl Alcohol
Tosylamide/Epoxy Resin
Polyvinyl Butyral
Camphor
Etocrylene
D&C Violet #2

Zoya Topcoat ingredients:
Butyl Acetate
Ethyl Acetate
Isopropyl Alcohol
Acrylates Copolymer
Cellulose Acetate Butyrate
Polyester Resin
Etocrylene
Benzophenone 1
Polyurethane Resin
D&C Violet #2

Amazing how similar those two formulations are to each other.

OH, and their quick dry topcoat in the Zoya line, Hurry Up, that they sell for $16.00 per .5 oz bottle ($32.00 per oz.) has the same list of ingredients that the Quick dry from their Qtica line, 1/2 Time Drying Accelerator, has for 7.50 for .25 oz., 22.00 for 1 oz. The ingredients: silicone. Specifically Cyclomethicone and Dimethicone (with Camellia oil tossed into the Zoya Hurry up for a little ... extra oil, I guess).


Well, you are saying, what about my favorite polish/treatment, insert here, it says it is x, y, or z free. Why isn't it in your list?


Poshe - Poshe says they are Formaldehyde and Toluene free ... "Safe Nail Care for a new generation" - Poshe also includes their MSDSs directly on their website, mega plus points.

However, their Fast Basecoat and Topcoat have Butyl Benzyl Phthalate, though their treatment basecoat is free of the 3 big chemicals.


Seche Vite Quick Fast Dry - has Phthalate and Toluene. Besides that it thickens up quickly, and doesn't work well on non-3 free polishes. My old OPI manicures lasted 1 day before chipping and tip wear required complete re-do.


And all the others? Well, all the others hide their ingredients lists. If I can't figure out what's in the formula via basic 'net surfing, I'm not spending my money trying to figure it out.


So here's my list of currently (and new) in rotation products:
OPI Nail Envy Sensitive and Peeling, Formaldehyde-Free Formula (basecoat)
Lacquer - new OPI (has Formaldehyde Resin), Revlon (3 free)
CNDs Dry & Shine or Air Dry (topcoat), both 3 free