Chryso's Beauty Buys: The New Hazard To Look For in Nail Polish by Chryso D'Angelo, December 24 2015, 22 Comments

Nail Polish

What girl doesn’t love to glam up her digits with a shiny coat of polish? And these days there are so many adorable options to consider. Leading the pack are chrome and metallic colors, pastels, royal blue and matte black.

When you think trendy, you can’t just consider color. It’s also all about color placement. Nails are being lined black at the nail bed, silver at the tip and nude at the base. Others boast a bright orange half moon at the tip. How about graphic shapes? Adorable!

It’s so easy to get caught up in the fun of a good manicure that it could be hard to swallow the details of a new study, co-authored by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and researchers at Duke University.

The team discovered that triphenyl phosphate (TPHP)—a suspected endocrine disruptor also used in plastics and as a fire retardant in foam furniture—could end up in your body, according to the EWG.

Brands selling nail polishes that contain TPHP include Sally Jansen, Essie, OPI, butter LONDON, Revlon, Milani, wet n wild, SpaRitual, Orly, theBalm, Nuance by Salma Hayek, Maybelline and Beauty Without Cruelty. Look under your sinks and in your drawers, ladies—it may be time to go nail polish shopping!

According to the report, evidence of TPHP was found in the urine of 26 women who had recently painted their nails.

Besides hormone disruption, scientific evidence shows that TPHP could contribute to weight gain and obesity, according to the EWG. The organization suggests avoiding nail polishes which list the following ingredients: triphenyl phosphate, TPHP, dibutyl phthalate and DBP. Get the full story here.

In the meantime, we found some wonderful nail products that deliver great results without the scary toxins:

Acquarella Nail Polish

  • Has signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and enjoys full Champion status
  • Ranked 1 out of 10 in safety on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database (low hazard)
Practicality: $12.50-$16

    Ingredients from packaging: Aqua (Water), Styrene Acrylates & Acrylate Copolymers. May Contain CI 77489, CI 77492, CI 77891, Mica

    Keeki Pure & Simple Nail Polish

    • Has signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and enjoys full Champion status
    • Ranked 2 out of 10 in safety on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database (low hazard)

    Practicality: $9.99

    Ingredients from packaging: Water, acrylate copolymer emulsion, glycol ethers. May contain mica (CI 77019), red (CI 15850), blue (CI 77007), white (CI 77891), green (CI 77289) or black (CI 77499) pigments.

    The Balm Hot Ticket Nail Polish, Z.Z. Top Coat

    • Has not signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics
    • Ranked 2 out of 10 in safety on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database (low hazard)

    Practicality: $19

    Ingredients from packaging: Isopropyl Alcohol, Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Dipropylene Glycol Dibenzoate, D&C Red #1

    Haute Polish Serendipity

    • Has not signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics
    • Ranked 3 out of 10 in safety on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database (moderate hazard)

    Practicality: $12

    Ingredients from packaging: Bis-HEMA Poly (1, 4-Butanediol)-9/IPDI Copolymer, Tetrahydrofurfuryl Methacryalate, Dipropylene Glycol Diacrylate, Di-HEMA Trimethylhexyl Dicarbamate, Trimethylolpropane Trimethacrylate, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide, Benzoyl Isopropanol, Poly (Methyl Styrene Isopropanol Ketone), Trimethylbenzophenone, Violet 2 (CI 60725).