Many gel and acrylic nails are non-degradable, meaning they can leave a lasting and damaging impact on the environment after you’ve decided to switch up your nails. In addition, many nail polishes and nail removers are considered hazardous toxic waste that sit in landfill and leak toxic checmicals into the soil.  

Numerous nail polish brands have transformed their forumulas to be either 10-free or 3-three. This means that it doesn’t include some of the most harmful leading nail polish ingredients. The big ten ingredients are the toxic trio (formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate) camphor, formaldehyde resin, ethyl tosylamide, xylene, parabens, fragrance, and animal by-products. There was however a study that showed that many of the toxic components that were phased out from some nail polishes were replaced by equally bad equivalents. Always check the ingredients list. 

Ama Quashie, the co-owner of AMA – a new natural nail salon in south London, says that this new angle at our manicures is here to stay, “There’s an increasing number of brands leaning towards the natural route because customers are becoming more aware of what they’re putting in and on their bodies.” 

Switching out your regular polish for a more natural and less toxic alternative is a important step towards a more sustainable beauty lifestyle.