What's this
Nail polish is a special synthetic lacquer that must be spread over the entire surface of the nail plate to protect and / or color the nail.
The nail polish contains a mixture of inorganic pigments and other functional ingredients: according to the concentration of these substances, the enamel assumes a more or less charged shade. Some enamels are even made to mask or correct some nail imperfections (eg stains on nails or flaking nails).
History
Contrary to what one might think, the use of nail polish is anything but recent. The practice of "painting" the nails dates back to ancient times, in fact, it is believed that the nail polish sinks its origins in ancient China of the third millennium BC (BC).
The ancient Chinese peoples used to use substances of vegetable origin (flower petals, gum arabic, etc.), minerals and animals (beeswax) that were expertly mixed in order to obtain compounds capable of being applied to the nails for the purpose to color them.
Of course, the use of these enamels did not have the purely aesthetic function we are used to thinking about, but they were used by the rich classes that held the power to distinguish themselves from the rest of the population.
Even the ancient Egyptians used to color their nails. Similarly to what happened in the Chinese populations, this custom was typical of the rich classes, the pharaohs and the queens who used to paint their nails with henna, obtaining a red-brown color.
It was only centuries later - and more precisely, starting from the IX century - that the custom of coloring nails with enamels acquired the aesthetic meaning still attributed to it. Since then, cosmetic research has evolved more and more in this field, developing ever more advanced formulations, in a continuous attempt to produce the ideal nail polish.
Ideal features
What are the characteristics that an ideal nail polish should have?
First of all, it should be emphasized that nail products must be chosen carefully: avoid aggressive enamels or those formulated with irritating solvents (toluene, formaldehyde or dibutylphthalate).
A quality enamel must meet the following requirements:
- Resistant : an enamel should reinforce the nails, protecting them from any mechanical micro-traumas, thermal insults and UV radiation.
- Easily spreadable : the spreadability of a glaze should be fluid and simple.
- Colored : a fundamental characteristic of a glaze, the colored pigments present in the formulation should give the product a bright, homogeneous and clear color.
- Quick drying : one of the main consumer demands is the quick drying of the glaze.
- Brilliance and lucidity .
- Long duration : an ideal nail polish should maintain its characteristics of brilliance and lucidity for relatively long periods and, moreover, it should - to the extent possible - resist any mechanical stress (bumps, rubbing, etc.) that can lead to its chipping or lifting it.
- Safe : a nail product must not be irritating and must not cause problems of fragility or alteration of the natural color of the nails. At the same time, an ideal nail polish should not contain any kind of potentially hazardous substance to human health or the environment.
Ingredients
In addition to nitrocellulose and solvents, the base of an enamel also includes other substances:
- Resins : combined with film-forming agents, the resins give adhesiveness, resistance and shine to the enamel (eg tosylamide-formaldehyde)
- Plasticizers : these are chemical substances that act as a bridge of union between the polymer chains, leaving small, important spaces to make the nail and enamel flexible after drying the product: in addition to guaranteeing a certain flexibility to the nail, these substances they prevent the enamel and nail plate from breaking or flaking off after the application of the enamel. A widely used plasticizer is camphor
- Thickeners / gelling agents (eg stearalkonium hectorite): used to keep any colored pigments in the glaze bottle in suspension
- Ultraviolet stabilizers (eg benzophenone-1): these substances are used to ensure that the color of the enamel, once applied to the nail, resists direct sunlight without being altered. In other words, when exposed to the sun, the color of the enamel distributed on the nail is not modified thanks to the presence of these substances.
- Functional substances: some enamels can be embellished with natural extracts with emollient, moisturizing or nourishing properties. For example, a nail polish can be enriched with jojoba oil, hydrolyzed wheat proteins, vitamins and softeners such as glycerin or lanolin.
- Pearly agents and dyes (pigments): they give chromatic effects and nuances to the enamel
In addition to the substances described above, an enamel may contain other special specific diluents to dissolve the active ingredients contained therein.
Enamels and related problems
Can Nail Polish cause damage?
While it is fascinating to admire perfect and colored nails in the hands of a woman, we must not forget that the excessive and repeated applications of these products (as well as their removal with irritating solvents) can cause major problems with the integrity and appearance of the nail. An abuse of enamel on the nail plate can in fact weaken the nail or favor the onset of yellow spots or streaks on the entire nail plate.
In general, when the presence of stains on the nails does not depend on systemic-metabolic pathologies, it is possible to proceed in two ways:
- Wait until the nail grows spontaneously (without applying any type of enamel)
- Apply a "bleaching" enamel on the nail plate, made with special substances capable of acting by optical effect, masking the problem.
Dangerous substances
Given the surprising interest in enamels by the female world, cosmetic researchers are progressively shifting towards innovative formulations, less and less toxic and safer for the health and appearance of nails.
It is therefore necessary to discard all those "dangerous" enamels, containing potentially carcinogenic substances: the main defendants are toluene, phthalates and formaldehyde.
Toluene
It is a dangerous aromatic solvent, used until a few years ago in the preparation of enamels. Toluene is included in the long list of potentially toxic components because inhalation of the compound can cause irritation of the mucous membranes (via upper airways), while contact can irritate the skin. Furthermore, it appears that this substance is somehow related to disorders of the Central Nervous System.
Formaldehyde
It is an irritating gas which, absorbed by the respiratory / skin route, can cause serious irritation of the mucous membranes, bronchial asthma and contact dermatitis. For this reason, formaldehyde is no longer used for the preparation of glazes.
DBP (Dibutylphthalate)
Until a few years ago, this filming substance was widely used for the preparation of long-lasting enamels. Since 2006, many manufacturers have wisely decided to phase out dibutyl phthalate because it is thought to be responsible for testicular problems in laboratory animals and humans.
Did you know that ...
Some manufacturers offer glazes called "3-Free", or colored or restructuring preparations for highly safe nails that are free of formaldehyde, toluene and phthalates.
In addition to this, lately, there are many cosmetic companies that offer "natural" lines including nail polishes in various shades of color. These enamels - in addition to the total absence of formaldehyde, DBP and toluene - boast in their formulation a high percentage of ingredients (including some solvents) of natural origin.
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