Have you ever wondered why "natural" nail polishes labeled as toluene-free, formaldehyde-free, and phthalate-free still emit strong odors and potentially harm your nails? It's worth noting that many so-called 3-free and 5-free "natural" nail polishes contain minimal natural ingredients while containing a significant amount of harmful chemicals known as acetates.

As I write this blog, the temperature outside is a scorching 32 degrees Celsius, feeling even hotter at around 40 degrees Celsius. During sweltering summer days like these, you might prefer to do your nails outdoors to avoid the smelly fumes that often accompany nail polish. This is where the allure of natural nail polish comes in, promising a more pleasant experience.

When you head to the store and come across various 3-free and 5-free nail polish brands proudly claiming to be free of toluene, formaldehyde, phthalates, and more, you might decide to give them a shot. However, you might be disappointed to find that they still emit an unpleasant odor and could potentially harm your nails. But why is this the case?

Mainstream nail polish brands often market themselves as "natural" and devoid of harmful chemicals like toluene, formaldehyde, and phthalates. While they don't necessarily mislead you, they manage to avoid creating toxic nail polish by incorporating other chemicals, specifically acetates. In fact, they fill a significant portion of their nail polish bottles with acetates, despite their claims of being "free" from certain chemicals.

Here are some facts about acetate:

• ACETATE is a group of clear, highly volatile synthetic chemicals that makes up more than 60% of nail polish content!
• ACETATE is very smelly, generates chemical fumes as nail polish dries!
• ACETATE is highly flammable and dangerous to you and our environment!
• ACETATE discolours and dries out your nails!
• ACETATE makes nail salons a stinky place!
• ACETATE forces nail technicians to wear masks!

Be sure to check the ingredients in nail polish and make informed choices. If you see ACETATE, i.e butyl acetate and ethyl acetate, as the first ingredients in a nail polish, you know it is not a natural nail polish but rather a toxic chemical one.
Here at Suncoat, we replace toluene and ALL the acetates with water! Water is always the very first ingredient in our natural nail polish.

LET’S KICK ACETATE TOGETHER!