let’s talk “less-toxic”

!! Important: Please read before going forward !!

Educating myself and others about potentially harmful and questionable ingredients in nail polish has become so important to me, so that’s why I curated this page of helpful information.

Here, I’ve listed many ingredients I’ve spent time researching, but I don’t want you to form an opinion based on mine. All of the ingredients are listed alphabetically for your convenience. By clicking the ingredient name’s dropdown tab, you’ll be able to see a snippet of information, as well as links to scientific studies and information from sites like the FDA and the EWG, so you can make your own well-informed decisions about which ingredients are most concerning to you. Overall, I hope that this page serves as a helpful starting point for your journey and my biggest encouragement to you is to please make sure you do your own research.

“Non-toxic nail polish” has become a controversial phrase in our community, so that’s why I like to call my stance “less-toxic.” There is no such thing as a “100% ingredients-from-the-earth, pure-as-can-be, non-chemical” nail polish (at least not yet), so this info is here for you to learn a little more about what you’re putting on your body and make the best choices for you.

As always, if you have any questions at all, please feel free to email me (info on the Contact page) or visit official, science-based websites like the ones I’ve linked on this page.

May 2023 update: I’ve added some new resources about color additives and dyes, so please feel free to check out the new page and begin doing your own research. Thank you for your patience while I worked on this update!

A little more info…

As of March 9th, 2021, this is my process for moving toward being more transparent about the polishes I share on my website, YouTube channel, and social media…

  • Blog: If an ingredient or ingredients from this list is/are present in a polish/polishes I’m showing, you will see this symbol (!) near the description/photo, followed by a statement about which ingredients it contains and a link to this page where you can learn more about said ingredient(s).

  • YouTube: If an ingredient or ingredients from this list is/are present in a polish/polishes I’m showing, you will see this symbol (!) in the video, followed by a statement about which ingredients it contains and a note to check the description box for a link to this page where you can learn more about said ingredient(s).

  • Instagram: If an ingredient or ingredients from this list is/are present in a polish/polishes I’m showing, you will see this symbol (!) in the caption of the photo, followed by a statement at the bottom about which ingredients it contains and a note to check the link in my bio for a link to this page where you can learn more about said ingredient(s).

November 2022 update: Recently, I’ve been moving toward less “brand-focused”/”polish-specific” content, so some posts and uploads may not contain any ingredient info (or info about the polishes used, for example) because the focus of the particular content is meant to be on the nail art or manicure.

If an ingredient is on this list, that means it is one that I have researched and think my viewers/readers should be made more aware of, due to its potential or proven harmful affects. Just because an ingredient is on this list does not mean that, while I have begun to move away from products that may contain it, you will never see any of these ingredients in polishes I share.

As explained in this section, if a questionable ingredient is present in a polish I am mentioning, I will make sure to make my viewers/readers aware and encourage them to do their own research. There are some ingredients I am very opposed to and some I don’t have very high on my list of concerns; like I said, the ingredients you’re concerned about will be due to your own personal opinion, circumstances, and research.

I am committed to sharing this journey with my audience and helping to make our nail polish industry a little cleaner, a little healthier, and a whole lot more educated.

Thank you for reading, and if you’re on this journey today as well, I’m praying that it will be a positive and healing one. I believe in you. You’ve got this!

A few additional tips to make your journey simpler…

  • Take breaks—there’s no rush!

  • Balance is so important to a “less-toxic” journey. Don’t be afraid to let your nails go natural every so often!

  • Even small steps are big. Celebrate your accomplishments!

  • Don’t stress—knowledge will come little by little and one day, you’ll look back and certainly be proud of all you’ve learned.