Sustainable trend
Vegan nail polish is conquering the beauty market: this is what you should pay attention to
Vegan nail polish is becoming increasingly popular, but how do you recognize it?
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Did you know that common nail polish contains ingredients from animals? In addition, most products contain chemicals that are not really healthy. Vegan alternatives, on the other hand, largely do without potentially harmful substances, but there are also serious differences here.
Conventional nail polish often contains questionable ingredients such as solvents (formaldehyde), synthetic resins (polymers), preservatives (parabens), plasticizers (phthalates), microplastics and trieric components (keratin, carmine, guanine). They ensure better coverage and longer durability. Vegan nail polish, on the other hand, completely dispenses with the use of animal ingredients, but certain chemicals are still found in these products. For this reason, the “free” concept was launched, which states how many substances of concern were not used.
The “free” concept for vegan cosmetics
Even if vegan nail polish does not contain any animal ingredients, it can contain conventional ingredients. To indicate this, many brands use a combination of the word “free” and a number – this is supposed to provide information about how many substances of concern, which are most common in ordinary nail polish, have not been used. You can find out what these are in detail by looking at the label, as there is no uniform regulation for all manufacturers. As a rule, however, the reference stands for the waiver of the following ingredients:
- 3-free: does not contain dibutyl phthalates, formaldehyde or toluene
- 5-free: does not contain camphor, rosin or formaldehyde resins
- 7-free: does not contain any animal ingredients and is not tested on animals
- 10-free: does not contain fragrances, parabens and xylenes
- 15-free: does not contain silicones, ethyl tosylamides and microplastics
Vegan nail polish: an overview of popular brands
OZN (22-free)
This brand produces its nail polish without any animal ingredients – and is also cruelty-free. Instead of relying on classic chemistry, it works OZN prefer to go back to biodegradable alternatives. And since quality is known to have its price, vegan nail polish is not exactly cheap.
Kester Black (10-free)
In 2012 the label was founded in Australia: Kester Black also produces cruelty-free and (thanks to recyclable materials) environmentally friendly nail polish, which is also vegan. The range includes a wide range of colors, so there is something for every taste.
Nailberry (12-free)
According to the manufacturer, the vegan nail polish is heavily pigmented, super-shiny and quick-drying. Thanks to the integrated UV filter, the vegan colors of Nailberry protected from fading. And of course no animal experiments were made here either – recognizable by the “Cruelty Free” label.
Kia-Charlotta (14-free)
The German brand Kia-Charlotta also relies on vegan nail polish that is free of harmful substances and animal testing. In order to keep production as sustainable as possible, only 15 new colors are developed each season – the products are also limited and made from sustainable materials.
Gitti
In contrast to the other brands, the nail polishes are made by Gitti made on a water basis and filled in sustainable packaging. The Berlin label became known, among other things, through an appearance by founder Jennifer Baum-Minkus on the TV show “Die Höhle der Löwen”.
Understanding ingredients: that’s behind it
As already mentioned at the beginning, a look at the ingredients can reveal whether a nail polish is really vegan and cruelty-free. The most important ingredients that shouldn’t appear on the label are terms like carmine and guanine. The former is a red pigment obtained from scale insects – usually noted as cochineal or “CI 75470” on nail polish. The second comes from fish scales and is a shimmer pigment. The vegan counterpart is called Mica or “CI 77019”. Keratin should also not be listed because it comes from animal hair, horns and hooves. And last but not least, the note “Cruelty Free” or “Leaping Bunny” is important, as it stands for animal-free cosmetics, because vegan nail polish can also have been tested on animals.
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