Are Manicures Bad For The Environment
Yes and no: If youre doing your nails at home, and properly disposing of your nail polish, chances are its not a huge environmental or health concern.
However, if you get your nails done at a salon, several salons tend to have poor ventilation which is potentially harmful due to the nature of nail polish fumes. These fumes can lead to indoor air pollution thats potentially harmful to human health.
Some of the fumes, like toluene a common ingredient in many nail polishes, can cause a condition known as painter syndrome. This is a permanent condition that can cause memory loss, mobility issues, and speech problems.
Toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate are sometimes referred to in the industry as the toxic trio. In a study run by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, a limited number of nail salon products claiming to be free of one or more of the toxic trio tested positive for the chemicals of which they claimed to be free of.
Nail salon workers are the ones most exposed to solvents, fragrances, and hardeners that could be volatile. These chemicals are inhaled when they evaporate into the air. For example, the dust created when filing artificial nails may contain glues, silica and benzoyl peroxide. Nail salon workers should wear gloves and masks for this reason, and I highly recommend you look into going to an ethical nail salon.
How To Make Your Cruelty
One of the major frustrations many people have with nail polish is that it simply doesnt seem to last! You might find that after washing the dishes a couple of times, the damage on your fresh manicure is incredibly obvious.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can make your manicure last longer without gel polish.
Full List Of Vegan Nail Polish Brands
Here is our complete list of vegan nail polish brands. From these brands, you will only find vegan-friendly nail polishes and nail care products.
Note: In the Chemicals column, we have listed minimum-free, the number may vary between products. For instance, Pacifica is a minimum of 7-free but it has also 16-free polishes.
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List Of Vegan Gel Nail Polish Brands
Several of you have been asking for a list of cruelty-free and vegan gel nail polish brands, and Im happy to have finally found some vegan gel polish for personal or professional use.
Below is a list of nail polish brands that dont test on animals and offer vegan gel polish that doesnt contain any animal-derived ingredients like guanine, pearl, or shellac.
2021 Update! I have now also included information about the brands ethical mica mining policy. There were several brands that unfortunately didnt get back to me when I asked if their mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.
How To Have A Sustainable Manicure And Pedicure
You dont have to give up on painting your nails entirely. Creating a more sustainable at home manicure and pedicure system is the most sustainable option. You can also bring your own tools and polish with you to nail salons and ask them to use those.
nail file
Nail files are typically made from sandpaper, cardboard and glue. While they certainly can last a while, theyll eventually need to be tossed out because they cant be properly sanitized. Instead, choose an eco friendly nail file made from stone, glass or metal. These can be easily sanitized and reused for years to come, making them zero waste.
nail polish remover
Instead of acetone-based nail polishes, opt for an eco friendly nail polish remover. Try Rooted Womans organic soy nail polish remover instead: Its made with botanically derived ingredients and comes in a glass jar with a dropper. The dropper is also glass and allows for more precise application and less waste.
reusable nail polish remover pads
Instead of disposable cotton rounds, try switching to reusable nail polish remover pads. I really like these homemade ones from Etsy theyre made using 100% bamboo felt. If youre good at sewing, you can even craft your own cotton rounds from an upcycled flannel shirt like I did.
nail polish
cuticle oil
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Dimension Nails Vegan Gel Nail Polish
Dimension Nails is an indie cruelty-free and vegan nail polish brand with a collection of over 100+ premium gel polish colors that are also 10-free. Dimension Nails gel polish claims to last weeks without losing shine, breaking, chipping, or smudging.
Additionally, Dimension Nails has confirmed their mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.
What Ingredients Should You Avoid In Nail Polish
Below, these nail polishes will say #-Free, and it refers to the number of toxic ingredients they did not use, which you would typically find in conventional nail polish. Ingredients you should most certainly avoid when purchasing a new bottle are Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde resin, and Camphor. And good news for your nails – many brands are making non-toxic nail polish that doesn’t use those ingredients, along with many other ingredients you find in conventional polish.
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What Makes A Nail Polish Brand Vegan
A vegan nail polish brand does not do 2 things: it does not use animal ingredients and it does not test its products or ingredients on animals.
The most common ingredients that make a nail polish not vegan are animal-derived shine agents or pigments .
Also, often its the nail care and makeup products that make the nail polish brand not vegan. For instance, Zoya nail polishes are vegan but the brand has non-vegan cosmetics.
Ella + Mila Bonbon Collection
A post shared by ella+mila on Apr 11, 2020 at 1:36pm PDT
This pastel-hued color collection is ideal for springeven if the only one who sees your nails right now is your cat. The polishes are quick-dry, which is perfect if youre known to mess up a manicure by reaching for your phone too soon. Dance around your living room for five minutes and your nails will be dry to the touch.
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Why Is Nail Polish Not Vegan
Some animal-derived ingredients that may be used in nail polish colors include guanine which is derived from fish scales and used in shimmery nail polish colors keratin used as a nail strengthener and shellac which is produced from the lac bug and commonly used as a high-shine hardener.
Vegan nail polish do not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
How Do You Recycle Nail Polish
You cannot recycle nail polishes with traditional curbside recycling programs. The US EPA considers nail polish to be household hazardous waste due to the chemicals used to make it. Also, nail polish bottles tend to be small and would probably end up getting lost in the recycling process.
Elle Polish, an ecofriendly nail polish brand, offers a recycling program where you can send 5 empty Elle polish bottles in to be recycled and youll get a special edition polish in return. Simply email them at to obtain your free mailing label.
Cote also offers nail polish recycling program. For any used bottle of polish you bring into their LA shop, youll receive 10% off your next Cote polish purchase. You can also mail your used bottles in as well.
If you cannot participate in any of these recycling programs, check with your local nail salons to see if theyll collect the bottles for proper disposal with their own.
You can always check with the specific brand youre using to see if they offer any take-back programs as well. Also Earth911 has a recycling center search you can utilize to see how to recycle something near you. Just type in nail polish and your zip code.
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While you might have ruled out animal-tested make-up a long time ago and diligently swapped your skincare for cruelty-free alternatives, chances are you havent considered the ingredients hiding in your favourite nail treatments.
A category thats fallen by the wayside in the world of vegan beauty, traditional nail polish can contain animal-derived ingredients including guanine along with keratin, an animal protein known to help strengthen nails.
As for those shellac treatments we all love? Unfortunately, traditional shellac is not vegan it uses a resin derived from the female lac bug found in India and Thailand that helps create the glossy formula you see in the salon.
As Veganuary is in full swing, now is a great time to consider switching your nail polish . But how to work out if its actually vegan? Look out for the Peta-approved vegan logo and the Leaping Bunny trademarks. Dont be put off by a high-shine finish, either, lots of vegan alternatives have aluminium particles or synthetic pearls to get that shimmery, high-shine result that weve all grown to love.
The good news is that theres plenty of great vegan options to choose from to switch up your manicure. From winter shades to shellac alternatives, see our favourites from the likes of Nailberry, Rimmel and Orly, below.
Read more:
Is Gel Nail Polish Vegan
Gel nail polish can be vegan, or it can contain animal products. It all depends on what brand you are looking at.
Many types of gel nail polish, and gel nail polish brands, are not vegan and use animal ingredients in their products for color, effect, consistency, and so on. But, due to a rise in demand for vegan products, more brands are finding perfect non-animal replacements for their polish.
This includes Orly Beauty. All of our products are 100% vegan.
Vegan nail polish contains absolutely no animal products in any form, and instead uses suitable replacements. But, this does not compromise the quality of the product, as the alternative ingredients work just as well as any animal ingredients that would be used otherwise.
When comparing gel nail polish vs regular nail polish, this applies to both. It is also important to note that a vegan certification does not mean a product is completely natural. You need to do further checks on the chemicals used, whether you can use acrylic paint as nail polish, and so on.
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Deco Miami Customizable Manicure Set
A post shared by deco nail lacquer on Apr 26, 2020 at 8:13am PDT
Nows the time to get crafty! This whimsical kit includes a topcoat, a color of your choice, a nail file, scented cuticle oil, and a nail art sticker sheet. The only thing that could make this better is if the stickers were scented, too!
What In Nail Polish Isnt Vegan
Any nail polish that contains animal-derived ingredients isnt vegan. Heres a list of animal-based ingredients found in cosmetic products, including but not limited to nail polish. An ecofriendly nail polish will often avoid animal-based ingredients, as these tend to have a higher carbon footprint and arent always ethically harvested.
The animal-based ingredients commonly found in nail polish include:
- Guanine: Usually listed as pearl essence, which comes from fish scales. Gives nail polish shine.
- Carmine: Often found in red shades of nail polish. Carmine is made from boiled and crushed beetles.
- Shellac: Used in nail polish which is a dark brown resin from the excretions of lac scale insects, collected from the branches the insects live on.
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How Long Does Vegan Nail Polish Last
Just because many vegan formulas are plant-based doesnt mean that they dont have some serious staying power. Many vegan nail polishes can last up to two weeks, with pigment as fresh as the first swipe. Like all polishes, vegan or not, how long your nails remain chip-free depend largely on application and using base and top coats to really seal in the shade and shine.
Ready to give your nails the vegan treatment? Shop our best picks below.
Plant Pots By Ciat London
Ciaté London is a PETA-certified cruelty-free makeup company founded by prominent English businesswomen Charlotte Knight.
The brand has pledged to also become fully vegan in the future. To our joy, their Plant Pot nail polishes are already vegan-friendly.
Plant Pots are both elegant and artsy. We love all their rich vegan nail lacquers from romantic warm tones and bold bright ones.
The vegan nail polish is also made from 80% natural ingredients and infused with nail strengthening and ingredients such as biotin and bamboo extract.
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Faq About Vegan Nail Polish Brands
Is nail polish vegan?
Not necessarily. Nail polish can be vegan but it can also include animal-based ingredients such as guanine or carmine . Nail polish can also be tested on animals which makes it not vegan.
Is Zoya vegan?
Zoya is not a fully vegan brand. Most of Zoyas nail polishes are vegan-friendly but their cosmetics still include animal ingredients such as honey or beeswax.
Is OPI vegan?
OPI is not entirely vegan but it has vegan products. For instance, OPI Nature Strong collection is vegan and even certified by The Vegan Society.
Is Orly vegan?
Orly is not a vegan brand. Their nail polishes are vegan but their nail care products include animal products.
Is Manicurist vegan?
Not entirely. The majority of Manicurist products are vegan but at least one of their nail polishes includes animal-derived shellac.
Which nail polish brands are vegan?
Some of the 100% vegan nail polish brands include Deco Miami, Tenoverten, Sophi, Karma Organic, and Londontown. See our full list of vegan nail polish brands here.
Pacifica Beauty Nail Polish
Varieties: many specialty types of polish
Toxicity Info: 10-free
All Cirque Colors nail polish is vegan and leaping-bunny certified cruelty-free! If you are searching for a specific look, this brand might be perfect for you. You can shop by type, which includes many options like metallic, crème, glitter, sheer, jelly, thermal , and more!
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Eco Friendly Nail Polish Brands For The Best Non
I dont paint my nails very often, but I still get manicures and pedicures for special events. Ive been looking into more eco-friendly salon practices as well as eco friendly nail polish brands. It might surprise you to learn that some nail polish is classified as hazardous waste by the EPA which basically means the EPA acknowledges nail polish has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment.
This is particularly important when you dispose of your old nail polish so make sure youre doing it properly. You can throw away empty bottles, but if they still have product in them, you shouldnt throw it in the garbage or pour it down the sink. Instead, pour what you have left onto a scrap of paper and let it fully dry. Then you can throw both of those things away they are NOT recyclable.
Some nail polishes also contain questionable ingredients, and while having a manicure done every now and then isnt a big problem, the fumes can be so bad in poorly ventilated nail salons, that the workers are most at risk.
Despite this, nail polish sales are on the rise. According to Grand View Research, The global nail polish market size was valued at USD 14.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 6.8% from 2022 to 2030.
What To Look For When Shopping For Non
Always check for the number of free ingredients they do not include. 10-Free is pretty standard for non-toxic nail polishes, but as long as you don’t see the above ingredients on the label, you are already choosing better nail polish. When shopping for non-toxic nail polish, we look for the labels’ Vegan’ & ‘Cruelty-Free,’ which means no animal products are used within the ingredients, and there has been no animal testing. Since I live in the states, I also like to look for Made in the USA to lower my carbon footprint.
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Where To Shop For These Cruelty
You can shop and purchase directly from any of the above brands websites.
Shopping at Ulta? Find China Glaze, Londontown, ORLY, Pacifica, Nailtopia, Zoya, and Seche at some retailers.
2023 Update! Added more recommendations for the best cruelty-free nail sets, press-on nails, vegan nail strengtheners, dip powders, nail wraps, and vegan nail glue.
How To Tell If It Is Vegan
The best way to learn whether a nail polish is vegan is to check the ingredients in the gel nail polish that is usually listed on the bottle.
Generally, if a brand has gone through all the necessary checks by licensed bodies, they will have a clear stamp on their packaging that says they are vegan. Without the official accreditation, they would not be able to advertise being vegan.
If this is not made clear on the packaging, you can always look at the loss of ingredients on the bottle. If you are not familiar with the names, contact the brand or manufacturer and they can provide you with this information.
It is also important to note that even if your gel polish is vegan, you must check all other products used in the manicure process, too. This includes acetone, base, top coat polish, and other types of nail polish finishes, nail art, and so on.
Despite differences in nail polish vs nail lacquer, the latters ingredients also need to be checked before use.
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