Major Nail Polish Brands Found to be Free of the “Toxic Trio”

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Major Nail Polish Brands Found to be Free of the “Toxic Trio”

Healthy Child

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

(Cross-posted from Women and the Environment)

"A recent survey of popular nail care product manufacturers conducted by the National Healthy Nail Salon Alliance (the Alliance) showed that 74 percent of the companies surveyed do not use toluene, formaldehyde or dibutyl phthalate in their polish. These three ingredients, nicknamed the “toxic trio,” have been linked to asthma, cancer, and reproductive problems in peer-reviewed studies.

The Alliance sent a letter to 23 nail care companies requesting disclosure of these toxic chemicals in their nail care products. According to the survey results, 17 companies confirmed that their nail polish was “three free,” meaning it does not contain the toxic trio. Two companies, Creative Nail Design and Essie, still use some of the toxic ingredients; and four companies, including Sally Hansen and Yves Saint Laurent, chose not to respond to the survey.

“It’s progress that these nail care companies reported they no longer use the ‘toxic trio’ in their polish formulas,” said Julia Liou, Manager of the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative. “Unfortunately, some of the most popular nail polish brands still contain toxic ingredients, which means that women are being exposed to chemicals that are linked to long-term health problems.”

Over the last several years, scientific studies have documented health problems in nail salon workers and daily exposure to chemicals in nail care products. A recent occupational health study on nail salon worker exposure shows that manicurists had levels of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in their bodies that was two-times higher than that of the general population. DBP has been linked to reproductive problems in baby boys as well as decreased sperm count in adult men. Other studies have found that nail salon workers experience symptoms consistent with solvent exposure such as dizziness, headaches, skin and eye irritation and breathing difficulties.

“Nail salon owners and workers come into contact with nail care products on a daily basis, so they are more vulnerable to the health hazards of toxic chemicals in products,” said Alexandra Scranton, director of science and research at Women’s Voices for the Earth. “This survey provides salon owners, workers, and consumers with the information they need to determine which products can help reduce their exposure to toxic chemicals.”

According to the Alliance, most of the surveyed manufacturers only provided information about their nail polishes, not their full range of products such as nail hardeners or top coats, which have been known to contain formaldehyde.

“While removal of the ‘toxic trio’ should lessen toxic exposure to nail salon workers, more research is needed to ensure that alternative chemicals are safe,” said Nancy Chung, Reproductive Justice Fellow at National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. “And we believe that companies should remove the array of other hazardous ingredients beyond DBP, toluene and formaldehyde from all nail salon products and solvents ─ not just nail polishes.”

This survey is part of a larger effort to improve the health of nail salon workers nationwide, and educate them on the dangers of working with these chemicals. The National Healthy Nail Salon Alliance, which includes the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and Women’s Voices for the Earth, convened for the first time in April, to discuss health and safety concerns facing nail salon and cosmetology workers and to develop a prioritized research agenda."

As part of the Alliance’s campaign to raise awareness among salon customers and workers, they've created a wallet-sized downloadable card, listing which nail polishes do not contain the “toxic trio”, to take with you to the salon and share with your friends.

The National Healthy Nail Salon Alliance advocates for the improvement of nail salon worker health and safety. For more information, visit Women's Health and the Environment.

Posted by bella on 04/25/2011 at 08:14 AM

i don’t understand how can Sally Hansen be on the wallet card when there 6th ingredient in formaldehyde ??

Posted by Jenelle on 08/18/2010 at 11:25 PM

Hi there,

You mentioned that the “toxic three” were link to cancer…py peer reviewed studies.

Did these studies link all three of these chemicals to these conditions.

Where can I read the articles?

Posted by Grace Hagen on 01/20/2010 at 02:10 PM

Something is wrong here. I have been label reading lately as I react to polishes with the “toxic three”. I have found one or more of those ingredients recently on labels of China Glaze, OPI and Nicole, Orly, and Sally Hansen. What kind of research was done to compile this list? Only information from the manufacturer? How about actually reading their labels in the store? OPI advises on their display in Target that their product is free of these “toxic three”, yet the bottles on the shelf list these as ingredients. Once again, something is wrong here.

Posted by Gel Nails on 08/30/2009 at 10:23 PM

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Posted by Online universities on 08/12/2009 at 01:23 PM

I would avoid the cheap ones ........and even most of the drugstore brands…If you really want a good nail polish OPI is really the top of the line ....and they have so so many shades to choose from…..

Posted by Rene on 07/18/2009 at 06:22 AM

I notice you have OPI and SpaRitual listed as “Three-Free.” However, I have several polishes from both those brands in my possession, and all list Toluene and formaldehyde resin on the ingredients label located on the bottom of the bottle. How can they claim to be three-free if these are listed directly on their product? In fact, SpaRitual lists Toluene FIRST on all the (20-some) colors I own.

Posted by Emily Lynne Ion on 07/09/2009 at 09:57 AM

Hi Teresa,

Good catch! I confirmed with Women for the Environment, who authored the survey, that Sally Hansen is indeed “three free” and should rightfully be on the wallet guide. Women for the Environment were able to ascertain Sally Hansen’s status even though the company did not respond to their survey.

Thank you!
Emily Ion
Healthy Child

Posted by Teresa on 07/08/2009 at 03:37 AM

Thanks for the list. You mention that Sally Hansen chose not to respond but I notice they are on the wallet card as being three free. Does that mean they eventually got back to you?

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