What does nail polish say about you?
Did Marilyn imagine that her beautiful red nails will become a world class inspiration for beautiful women? What else didn’t she know about nail polish?
Well Aligned- Sustainable Wellness Series By Sandra Deira
Joie de vivre, guilty pleasure and the weather
Every six weeks I look at the weather forecast for the coming 14 days. Will I get to enjoy the sun, wear sandals and a ravishingly blue colour nail polish or will it be a shiny nude because it will be raining cats and dogs, my toes will be stuffed away and I will not get to wear one of my favourite bright colour dresses?
I sometimes wonder how did women chose their favourite colour nail polish half a century ago? Going to the cinema in those days was a real treat. Women around the world were inspired by famous Hollywood actresses to paint their nails bright red. Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe come to mind. Did Marilyn imagine that her beautiful red nails will become a world class inspiration for beautiful women? What else didn’t she know about nail polish?
Would she ever guess that nail polish presents a considerable health risk?
Californian scientists tested mostly nail colour and some top coat, base coat, thinner, nail art, and a top coat-base coat combination.
The chemical toluene, a toxin that may cause birth defects and developmental problems in children of pregnant women who have had extended exposure. They also looked for dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which has been linked to birth defects in studies involving lab animals, and formaldehyde, a carcinogen.
Then there is Triphenyl phosphate, or TPHP, a suspected endocrine-disrupting chemical, which is commonly used to make plastics and as a fire retardant in foam furniture. And if you wear nail polish, it could be in your body too.
Researchers at Duke University tested the urine of 26 women who had recently painted their nails and found evidence of TPHP in every participant. Evidence of the chemical in the women’s urine increased sharply after they applied the nail polish.
TPHP is listed on the ingredient labels of a wide array of nail polishes now on the market. Out of more than 3,000 nail products in EWG’s Skin Deep database, half disclose the use of TPHP.
Could your nail polish influence pregnancy and kids?
As an expectant or mother-to-be mother, prior or immediately after hearing that you are pregnant, you will naturally make a few healthy decisions.
You will stop smoking, stop drinking, take more rest, you will pay more attention to your diet. Not only for yourself, but especially for the child that grows inside of you. Would this also mean that you would have to give up your well-groomed nails for a while? Absolutely not. However, considering all the possible toxin material in your nail products you would want to put in some effort to do some research and pay close attention to the quality and content of your products. There are nail care products and brands with beautiful lacquers who will not get in the way of you and your baby’s health. Look for brand quality labels like the Big 3Free, Big5Free and up to even the Big10Free which will identify how free of harmful chemicals your product really is. Your nail polish must be free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, foluene, camphor, TPHP, parabens, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and led
Nail Industry, Economy and Business
Market analysts predict that the global market of nail polish will represent a value of 9 billion dollars by the end of 2019.
A recent survey found that female respondents in the UK spent on average £112.65 per month on their appearance. Nail-care services account for an estimated 10% of the overall beauty and hairdressing industry revenue of £3.7bn in the UK alone. Nail-care services prices range from £10 for basic nail-varnish services to £100 for permanent nail extensions using bio gels.
Exponentially nail polish is the fastest rising and most sold product in the cosmetic industry. Nails Salons are the 7th most popular type of start-up business. A never-ending inspiration, new nail bars open daily and ambitious entrepreneurs promote their brand, products, services and business to attract their ideal target audience.
The rising demand for nail polish especially among young people contributes to the strong sales increase. About 91% of girls between 9 and 17 years old use some form of nail polish or other nail care products. When you let this sink in for a while, the question might come to mind.
Who is actually buying the nail polish for a child? Usually it is their mum, their grandmother or friends and family. Perhaps you could share this article with them!
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