People around the world love to do their nails. Whether they work in the industry, or are getting their nails done every so often, we are all exposed to the strong scent of nail polish. What is it really made of?
Ingredient lists show the varying toxins throughout nail polish brands. “Chemical ingredients in nail care products range from cancer-causing compounds such as formaldehyde to others that disrupt the endocrine system. Researchers have identified toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate” These three ingredients developed the name “toxic trio” because they are the three most harmful substances found in polish and put people at risk.
The three hazardous components in nail polish:
Dibutyl Phthalate: this is the product that prevents your nail polish from becoming dry and brittle and is not only toxic, but is damaging to reproduction. Although the United States has no warnings against it, Canada has correlated it with kidney and liver failure in kids. Many moms polish their kid’s nails, unknowing of this substance, and then their kids suck of their fingers, absorbing this harmful chemical.
Formaldehyde: “The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen”. Formaldehyde can be up to five percent of the concentration of your nail polish, and is shown to have horrible side effects such as certain types of cancer.
Toluene: “Inhalation of toluene vapor can affect the central nervous system causing slight drowsiness and headache at low levels and Irritation of the nose, throat and respiratory tract at increased levels.”
One thing that really bothers me is that there are no warning labels on nail polish bottles; the ingredient list is so small you can barely even read it, and even if you were able to read it most people do not know what any of the ingredients actually are. Reading about these harmful ingredients would not only make them think twice about putting on nail polish, but also make them think about their children and loved ones being exposed to these substances. It is not worth the risk and the United States should ban these harmful chemicals from being in nail polish.
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I was really interested to read your post, and I’m glad I did. I used to always paint my nails, and never gave a second thought to what I was actually putting on my nails. I never once read the ingredients in the polish, or questioned if it was dangerous. After reading this, it brings up a lot of concerns. For example, how many beauty products are dangerous and we know nothing about them? Should the companies warn us about what’s in the polish? This was very interesting and concerning, and I’ll think twice now before wearing nail polish on a regular basis.
When I first saw the title of this post, I thought that it was going to be about the affects of nail polish on your actual nail, but I was pleasantly surprised to see what it was really about. I completely agree that people who paint their nails or get them done, and especially those who work in the manicure and pedicure industry should be aware of these harmful toxins. I wonder what the percentage of people who work in that business actually know what the harms of nail polish are. Also, I wonder if there is a correlation between any type of illness/cancer and if said information is published. Interesting post!