I recently discovered that my shampoo contained a cancer-causing substance called coal-tar. This discovery made me think about the safety of the ingredients used in my other beauty products such as nail polish.

I’ve used nail polish for years but never actually paid attention to its ingredients. The nail polish brands below offer formulations that avoid the use of harmful chemicals. Not only did they send me nail polish to sample, but they also shared valuable information about chemicals you should avoid.

Nail Polish Chemicals to Avoid

Dibutyl phthalate – Is used to make nail polish stick and remain on the nail bed.  In Europe and the United States, this chemical is listed to affect fertility and can cause developmental defects in unborn children.

Toluene – Is found in petroleum and gives nail polish a smooth glide-on feel. Exposure to toluene can irritate the eyes, nose and the throat as well as impair kidney function.

Formaldehyde – Is used to strengthen nail polish. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen.

Using 5-Free and 7-Free Nail Polish

I noticed that the nail polishes I received did not smell – there was no toxic smell. Another thing I noticed was how fast they dried on the nails. They dried quicker and more even than my other nail polishes from popular brands such as OPI and Essie.

I was also impressed with the coverage and the colour as well as how long the nail polish lasted. If I had to choose my favourite chemical free polish from the brands mentioned below it would have to be the nail polishes from Kester.

I prefer Kester because of:

• The brush was wider and easier to use. It held a lot of polish which was easy to apply to the nail bed.
• I loved how deep and rich the Kester nail polish colours were; I only needed to apply one coat.
• I also felt that Kester provided a lot more information regarding the chemicals you need to stay away from as well as general information about the dangers of using nail polishes that still use harmful ingredients.

I’ve included a bit more information about each of the nail polish brands that I sampled below that have done a brilliant job at offering either a 5-free or 7-free nail polish formulation.

So what is 5-free or 7-free nail polish?

5-Free nail polishes refer to formulations that do not contain the three ingredients explained above; they also do not contain Formaldehyde Resin or Camphor.

7-Free nail polishes are even better, as they also do not contain Ethyl Tosylamide and Andxylene.

Scout

Classified as a 5-free nail polish, they gently scent their nail polish with gorgeous essential oils. It was a lovely experience painting my nails with their polishes and having a pleasant scent to enjoy. They sent me three bottles of polish to try. I preferred the red colour as the colour was perfect and didn’t leave my nail bed looking yellow when I removed the polish. With a red coloured nail polish, I notice my nails become a bit yellow, due to Scouts unique polymer formulation, my nails could breathe which meant they did not discolour.

 

Hanami

Hanami offers 7-free formulation polishes that are certified cruelty free and vegan. Their nail polishes use organic plant and mineral ingredients., their nail polish is thick enough that you only require one coat.

Their pastel purple nail polish below not only dried fast it was also a strong nail polish that didn’t chip or crack. I was also surprised with how this light coloured pastel polish only required one coat which gave a lovely colour and finish.

 

 

Kester

Founded by a Melbourne design enthusiast and savvy business woman, Kester Black’s mission is to offer nail polish that comes with cruelty-free and vegan-friendly certifications. Their polishes are made to breathe meaning their formulation allows air and water to pass through the nail polish making sure to rejuvenate your nail bed.

They are serious about producing quality beauty products with a minimal impact to the environment so all of their materials are recyclable and they only produce small batches of nail polish to minimise wastage.

Thanks again to these three brands for their help, I thoroughly enjoyed trying their nail polish and am convinced that I will only now use either a 5 or 7 -free formulation.

Dear readers – This post has been sponsored. The nail polishes above were generously given to me as gifts when I approached these brands asking to sample their polishes for this blog post. 

Check out my other beauty posts below:

–Bridal Beauty Tips for Your Wedding

–Beauty Tips for Eyebrows

–Why facials are important

–Skincare for Rosacea & Sensitive Red Skin