Apply or not? Nail Polish, Nail Polish Remover: Stories Behind Beauty

In this day and age, nail polish has been one of the favour cosmetics for most people around the world. Although most of us will have thought that nail polish is only applicable for females, males nowadays too use nail polish as well! This trend can be seen from most of the American rock stars and Korean idols in their ways of dress up. However, do you know what the story behind a nail polish is?

Nail polish is also known as nail enamel or nails lacquer, it’s used to decorate our fingernails and toenails. Thanks to scientific research, nail polish has evolved throughout the centuries! Most nail polishes in the market today are non-toxic, yet it contains a number of chemicals to make it stronger, flexible, resist chipping and peeling, and long-lasting adhesion to the nail. Do you know? A basic nail polish could be made from nitrocellulose dissolved in solvents such as butyl acetate or ethyl acetate.  Nitrocellulose leaves a shiny, hard film once the solvent has evaporated. 

             Other than that, most nail polishes also contain the following list of ingredients. Have a look to get a better known from it. 
 [Source:http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemicalcomposition/a/Nail-Polish-Chemistry.htm]

1)Solvents and Film-forming agents

nitrocellulose

Solvent is usually used as the main ingredient in a nail polish. They are liquids that used to mix the other ingredients in a nail polish to yield a uniform product. They determined volatile part in nail polish. Once we apply the polish, solvents will evaporate. The amount and type of solvent determines how thick a polish is and how long it takes to dry. For example, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate and alcohol. Toluene, xylene and formalin or formaldehyde is toxic chemicals that commonly used in nail polish. Furthermore, film-forming agents are chemicals that form the smooth surface on a coat of nail polish. The most common film former is nitrocellulose. It is basically plastic that dissolves in ethyl acetate. When the solvent evaporates, the plastic will stays on the surface of the nail as a thin coating.

2)Resins and Plasticizers

Dibutyl phthalate

Resins are ingredients that add depth, gloss and hardness to the film of a nail polish. It makes the film adhere to the nail bed. Example of a polymer used as a resin in nail polish is tosylamide-formaldehyde resin. Plasticizers are chemicals that help keep polish flexible and reduce the chance that it will crack or chip. They do this by linking to polymer chains and increasing the distance between them. Dibutyl phthalate and camphor are common plasticizers that used in nail polish. 

manganese violet

3)Dye and Pearlescent pigments

Dye gives color to nail polish. Common pigments of dye include chromium oxide greens, chromium hydroxide, ferric ferrocyanide, manganese violet, iron oxides and other colorants. In the United States, any colors added to nail polish must be certified by the Food and Drug Administration. Nevertheless, nail polish that has a shimmery or glittery effect may contain pearlescent minerals, such as titanium dioxide, ground mica, natural pearls, and aluminum powder. Some polishes may contain bits of plastic glitter or other additives that produce a special effect.

dry ground mica

     The other additional ingredients in nail polishes might be thickening agents, such as stearalkonium hectorite, to maintain the sparkling particles in suspension when in bottle and to make the polish easier to apply. Some polishes contain ultraviolet stabilizers, such as benozophenone-1, that prevent the polish from changing colour exposed to sunlight or other forms of ultraviolet light.

Yet, some nasty chemicals that could cause damage to our health are found in many less expensive nail polishes! 
They are formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and toluene that we had mentioned earlier. Formaldehyde is used as a preservative, a sterilizer, and to embalm bodies. Though it is less commonly included in nail polish these days, it is often added to nail hardeners, and many nail companies include nail hardeners in all of their coloured polishes as an added bonus. In fact, formaldehyde is considered a known carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and has been connected to lung and nasal cancer. Whereas dibutyl phthalate is a chemical used to make plastics that are extra flexible. It has been linked to reproductive issues if the mother is exposed to it while pregnant. Toluene is another scary chemical that often included in nail polish to make it apply more smoothly. Toluene had been known to affect the nervous system and cause dizziness, headaches, eye irritation, nausea, birth defects, developmental abnormalities, and liver and kidney damage. The mentioned chemicals have been banned in European Union and US.

List of toxic-free nail polishes brands: 

[Source:http://www.goddesshuntress.com/2012/03/30/the-list-3-free-and-5-free-nail-polishes/]

No Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde American Apparel, Butter London, CND, Deborah Lippmann, Essie, Estee Lauder Hard Candy, Lancome, Le Metier, M.A.C. , Nars , Nicole, OPI, Priti NYC , Spa Ritual , Wet ‘n’ Wild

No Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, and Camphor Chanel, Dashing Diva, Dior, Givenchy, Hopscotch Kids, L’Oreal, Nubar, RGB, Scotch Naturals, Uslu Airlines, Zoya

Top coat nail polish 

Basically, there are three types of nail polishes;

• Base coat- used before applying nail polish to the nail, to strengthen nails and restore moisture to the nails. 

Base coat nail polish

Gel type nail polish

• Top coat- used after applying nail polish to the nail, forms hardened barrier for the nails.

• Gel- long lasting type of nail polish, painted on the nail like a regular polish, and does not dry unless it is "set" under an ultraviolet or LED lamp.

I’m pretty sure many of us know that nail polish can be removed by nail polish remover, but how many of us know what it is made of? So now I will talk about the “story” behind and how it works as a nail polish remover. In contrast to nail polish, nail polish remover is an organic solvent that used to remove nail polish. It is normally produced from a composition of acetone C3H6O, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, glycerine, cetyl acetate, phthalic anhydride and oil. It might also contain some vitamin to strengthen the nails. Some nail polish remover contain Aloe Vera in protects and conditions the nails.  

Here comes a question, HOW IT WORKS?

There is actually no chemical reaction in removing nail polish, as nail polish remover is just an organic solvent that is used as an ingredient in the nail polish. In other word, both contain the similar organic solvents. The organic solvent in a nail polish keeps it in a liquid state while a solvent in a remover dissolves the hardened polish and returns it back into its liquid form. Thus, the process of dissolving a hardened nail polish is like putting it back into its original form as when it was applied to a nail. When the remover is applied onto the hardened nail polish, the solvent molecules such as ethyl acetate or acetone interrupt, loosen, and eventually break the polymer chains of the polish. This dissolves the hardened polish and transforms it back into its original liquid form so that it can be wiped off the nail with a cotton ball or tissue. 

Acetone nail polish remover

Non-acetone nail polish remover

Two types of nail polish removers; acetone and non-acetone. Not all nail polishes can be removed by the same remover. For instance, gel nail polish can only be removed by acetone nail polish remover. 

In a nutshell, using nail polish is an unavoidable routine to most people. Be aware that choosing the right types of nail polishes that won't cause health problem is the responsibilities to any people with health conscious. As a result, make sure that the nail polish you purchased doesn't contain harmful chemicals as been highlighted in the paragraph above.