It seems that nowadays everyone is very cautious about what products they are using based o the ingredients. The more they know, the more comfortable they are with using a product. I recently came across an article in NailPro Magazine explaining what the main ingredients are in nail polishes. As a salon owner, having this knowledge will help when answering client questions about what is actually in that little bottle.
So here's a breakdown of some of the main ingredients:
- Resin --> Nitrocellulose (that’s a film-forming resin) or anything with the words polymer, copolymer, or resin.
- Basically this is what hold the polish together. Nail polish traditionally requires two types of resin: film-forming and adhesive. The film-forming resin gives the dried polish a shiny texture, while the adhesive polymer adds flexibility, so it is less brittle.
- Solvent --> Ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, propyl acetate, and isopropyl acetate.
- This ingredient is what makes the polish easy to apply and spread evenly, as well as helps the polish dry quicker.
- Dispersants --> Stearalkonium hectorite, stearalkonium bentonite.
- Additives that help mix pigments with the resin and solvent. This slows the process of settling and separation in the bottle.
- UV Stabilizers -->Benzophenone, often followed by a dash and the number one.
- This will prevent sunlight from changing the color or fading the polish.
- Plasticizers -->Trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, triphenyl phosphate, camphor, and ethyl tosylamide
- This causes the manicures to last longer by keeping the resin flexible once it is dry.
- Dyes and Pigments -->“CL” followed by numbers on the label; that’s the index number for the color used.
- Makes up the color that is chosen by the client.
- Micas --> Mica
- This is the ingredient that adds shimmer to the polish.