DO NO HARM

Clients increasingly prefer nail care solutions that are free from chemicals considered toxic or harmful. Most professional brands meet this requirement and focus on wellness, safety, and quality.

There is no getting away from using chemicals in some form in formulated products. They are fundamental to life and play a crucial role in various industries, including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and cosmetics.

Using any product with ingredients in their formulations that can have a negative impact on clients is bad for business. This is why working with a trusted brand goes a long way in ensuring due diligence has been done in terms of safety.

While clients should be advised to read labels and look for nail products that are free from chemicals like formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), and other potentially harmful substances, As a professional, you should be researching brands and their ingredient lists, which can be found by requesting their safety data sheets (SDS). These sheets provide information about the chemicals used in each product.

Education is key

Everybody’s chemical makeup is different, and people react differently to all types of exposure, for example, one person can roll around in the grass and be fine, while another could do the same and break out in hives. It is not uncommon for people to have allergies; some allergies you can be born with, and others develop over time.

As a nail technician, you may be approached by clients with a reaction to nail enhancement products. This reaction can be caused by overexposure to the product and can develop into an allergy, which can be avoided.

Educating yourself on the ingredients and the reactions they might cause is vital, reports NSI. Avoid the toxic trio of toluene, formaldehyde, and DBT! All three chemicals would apply to nail polishes. In the past, they have been reported to contribute to respiratory irritation, contact dermatitis, or allergies in the user.

Banned by the FDA in the mid-1970s because of its potential dangers to the surrounding skin, allergies, and natural nail plate, methyl methacrylate (MMA) was used in acrylic monomer, which sets the powder too hard, almost like solid plastic. Ways to tell if your product contains any MMA include: the monomer has an unusually strong odour; the finished enhancement is extremely hard to file; and the acrylic takes unusually long to soak off.

Another cause for concern is hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). Many technicians do not know what HEMA is used for. It is a fantastic ingredient for adhesion in gels and acrylic monomers. Sadly, not many manufacturers are regulated by the FDA, so the quantity of HEMA used in products is not controlled. Combined with uneducated nail technicians, clients today are being overly exposed to HEMA and developing allergic reactions. When dealing with a client with an allergy, technicians need to avoid any product that contains HEMA. Starting with the primer right up to the last sealed layer.

Overexposure

Always work in a well-ventilated area when doing treatments. Overexposure is caused by prolonged, repeated exposure to a chemical beyond the levels specified as safe by the manufacturer. The most common sign of overexposure to chemicals is skin irritation. It is not an immediate sign that you are allergic to a chemical; it is a warning sign that if overexposure to the chemical continues, the person may become permanently sensitised or allergic to that chemical.

• Ways to prevent overexposure:

• Avoid touching the client’s skin with the brush.

• Wipe the excess monomer from the brush before working with the acrylic bead.

• When working with acrylic, follow the manufacturer’s recommended mixing ratio.

• Do not use acrylic monomer (liquid) without a polymer (powder).

• Change your lamp’s UV bulbs every four to six months.

• Change table towels after each client.

• Recommend the client seek the advice of a pharmacist or dermatologist.

A nail technician can also become allergic to enhancement products from different types of exposure to the product. There are some simple guidelines to help prevent allergies:

• Wash your hands with soap and water in between each client.

• Change table towels during acrylic service, after application, and before finishing.

• Avoid resting your wrist or palm on a soiled table towel.

• Do not touch the brush hairs with your fingertips.

• Use a small, shallow dappen dish to avoid getting monomer on your brush handle.

• If necessary, use a barrier cream or nitrile gloves.

Conforming to standards

Bio Sculpture is focused on client and technician safety and quality ingredients in their gel and nail polish systems which are toxic-free. They proudly conform to all South African standards, European Union cosmetic regulations and the FDA industry requirements.

The company’s gel systems EVO and BIOGEL ranges are free of chemicals like oxybenzone, avobenzone, octinoxate, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium laureth sulphate, cyclomethicone, polyethylene, polypropylene, aluminium salts, polyethylene glycols, triclosan, mineral oil, petrolatum, formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene, triphenol phosphate, and sulphate or sulphate. BIOGEL is scientifically formulated and does not contain HEMA.

BIOGEL is the original, professional, soak-off, easy-wear nail gel system in a jar. 30 years of gel development experience are behind EVO Gel Polish. Extensive testing and quality control ensure that clients receive the highestquality products. CGMP (cosmetic good manufacturing practice) and ISO (quality management standards) support manufacturing.

Innovation meets style

Laloo Cosmetics, established in 2013, offers high-quality Greek-inspired products catering to professionals and enthusiasts, offering an ever-expanding range of products. Each product undergoes rigorous testing at its privately owned laboratories. This ensures optimal safety and impeccable application results, in compliance with EU, US, and Asian nail product regulations.

Laloo Cosmetics, a global brand, is committed to sustainability and environmental consciousness, with most of its products certified cruelty-free and vegan, demonstrating its commitment to product safety.

With more than 500 shades to choose from, nail artists and enthusiasts are spoiled for choice, allowing them to unleash their creativity and express themselves in vibrant hues.

Gentle and safe

The LCN nail polish range has an ultra-high-gloss colour formulation that results in a breathable film that is both waterand air-permeable. It’s safe and gentle on nails, with an anti-yellow composition that’s striation-free and offers ideal opacity. Furthermore, it is completely vegan and cruelty-free.

Importantly, the nail polish does not contain harmful ingredients, such as toluene, paraben, formaldehyde, camphor, DBP, perfume ingredients, formaldehyde releaser-free glycol ether of series, di (2-Propyl Heptyl) phthalate, or triphenyl phosphate.

Vegan options

OPI has a range of nail products that are based on vegan formulas with environmentally friendly ingredients and packaging.

Introducing Nature Strong, OPI’s first natural-origin nail lacquer, which provides up to seven days of wear and shine. This highly pigmented, premium formula is vegan and free of animal-derived ingredients. What’s more, the cap and bottles are made with 20% post-consumer recycled materials.

Nature Strong’s ingredients are sourced 100% from nature, making it OPI’s first plant-based nail polish. The ideal line offers a high-quality, vegan-friendly nail polish that delivers on both style and performance.

It is vegan, cruelty-free, and formulated with non-GMO ingredients derived from sustainable sources such as sugar cane, manioc, wheat, potatoes, and corn. The natural-origin vegan topcoat provides extra shine and a colour-protective layer. The vegan base coat is exclusively available as part of the Nature Strong line and is designed to nourish and protect the nails. The formula is packed with AHAs, PHAs, vitamin A, bamboo, and squalane—all-natural ingredients that work together to improve the health and appearance of the nails.

The botanical base coat can be used as a standalone gloss to give the nails a healthy-looking finish, or a base coat under your favourite Nature Strong shade. The glitter is eco-friendly.

They are vegan and formulated with biodegradable, 100% plastic-free glitter made using cellulose from sustainably farmed eucalyptus trees.

With 36 exclusive shades, two biodegradable glitters, a topcoat, and a base coat, the Nature Strong collection has a variety of colours to choose from. Two coats of colour, with the topcoat and basecoat, will provide classic nail lacquer wear and shine for up to seven days.

The OPI Nail Envy® strengthener is based on a vegan formula and contains biotin, calcium, and vitamins A, C and E. It’s a liquid shield of layer-building strength that protects against chipping, peeling, and splitting, resulting in healthy, beautiful nails.