The Search For Non-Toxic Nail Polish- Part 2: Brand Reviews
In part one of this blog post, I discussed some of the reasons why you should use a non-toxic nail polish, things to look for, and a bit about the different types of polish you will find on the market that are being sold as “natural”, “healthy”, or “non-toxic”. If you missed that post, be sure to check it out here to provide more context and background for this post.
Jump to:
– Ingredient Ratings
– Application Tips
– Brand Reviews (Including Polish Remover)
– Summary of My Most Recommended Brands
Ingredient Ratings
As you may have seen elsewhere on my website, I’ve recommended ewg.org as a good resource to help you determine the safety of many products. Because most nail polishes contain some ingredients that are not typically found in other beauty products or food, I relied on the EWG’s Skin Deep® Database to help me determine the safety profiles of nail polish ingredients. My goal was to find some nail polish options where each ingredient was rated a 1 or 2 on EWG’S Skin Deep® Database and compile a list of the healthiest options available that were easy to purchase for Canadians.
However, I discovered that some pigments/colourants used in polishes will often rate higher than the other polish ingredients, often rating between 3-8. Because the colourants used in nail polish each receive different safety ratings, this makes it difficult for me to guarantee a specific rating for a specific brand, since the colourants will vary depending on the colour you select.
The main concern with these pigments is if they are inhaled (like in a powder or spray) or used around the eyes, but this is not the case with nail polishes. An example of some of the pigment ingredients include iron oxides, which rate a 3, tin oxide, which rates a 4, or aluminum hydroxide, which rates a 1 but makes me feel uneasy since I try to avoid aluminum in any form as much as possible. If you want to be sure about the exact colour you are buying, I recommend checking each ingredient listed for that colour on ewg.org.
A few more ingredients that rate higher than a 2 depending on their usage include: ferric ammonium ferrocyanide, which rates as 1-4 depending on if it is used in lip products (increased risk of ingestion and absorption), titanium dioxide rates a 3, but this is for if it will be inhaled, and n-butyl alcohol rates as 1-4 depending on if the product will be inhaled. Silica is another ingredient than can have a higher rating of up to 6 if the product could be inhaled, which thankfully isn’t the case with nail polish. Dimethicone is rated as 2-4, also depending on usage though it doesn’t specify what kind of usage is the most acceptable.
As I discussed in part one, a common ingredient of concern that is still used in many “non-toxic” nail polishes is benzophenone-1, which is rated a 4 on EWG and is classified as an “Unacceptable” ingredient. Some of the non-toxic brands I found that looked promising but sadly contained benzophenone-1 (or other forms of benzophenone) in their nail polish were: Vivre, Pure Anada (only their “adult” polish), 100% Pure, Sundays, Habit Cosmetics, Surya Brasil, Nailberry, Priti NYC, Static Nails, Aila. That is not a list of every brand that contains benzophenone-1, but some of the popular brands that I evaluated. I will update this list if I find it in more brands! Ella + Mila had benzophenone-1 listed in their ingredients on one website (this one), but not on their own website. However, their ingredient list has a couple of other ingredients that concern me, which are polybutylene terephthalate and polyethylene terephthalate, so for that reason they didn’t quite make my list of the best choices.
Another important note on ingredient ratings is that some ingredients have not yet been evaluated in the scientific literature for safety, so I can not confirm if they are safe or not. Here is a direct quote from the EWG website regarding how they decide on a safety score for each ingredient:
“Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.
Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.”
EWG.org
Application Tips
Since non-toxic nail polishes are made without common ingredients that were used initially to improve the durability of the polish, some of these polishes may not last as long as you’re used to. I found that with applying a clear top coat that the polish still lasted for about two weeks on my toes, so I was really happy with them!
To ensure you get the best results and value from your non-toxic nail polish, always follow these tips:
- Apply a clear top coat, which will increase the durability as well as give you that shiny, salon-quality look. You can also apply a clear base coat, but I often find this isn’t necessary.
- Apply your polish in very thin coats, allowing to dry between coats. I usually do two thin coats. It’s very important to do thin coats!
- If you typically get your nails done at a salon, bring your non-toxic polish with you! Switching to a safer polish does not mean you have to give up your salon visits completely if you don’t want to! Most salons are happy to use a polish that you provide. You can also search in your area for a “natural salon/spa” and will most likely find one that uses non-toxic polish (this applies for regular painted nails and not special finishes such as gel nails, fake nails, etc.).
- If you have to pay for shipping, ask a friend to order some polish with you and then you can split the cost of shipping!
Brand Reviews
Now without further ado, here are some of the best polishes I found (I evaluated every ingredient) with the pros and cons of each. Each polish brand is vegan unless otherwise noted:
- Gorgeous packaging, made in Australia, wood cap is sustainably harvested using non-native species
- Available on thegreenjunglebeautyshop.com with free shipping over $75
- Expensive, but you can sometimes find certain colours on sale
- Huge range of gorgeous colours
Karma Hues (Karma Organic Spa) (colour dependent)
- I tried this one and had great results! My only complaint is that because it is still a solvent based polish, it does have that typical nail polish smell although it is not as strong.
- Good ingredient list, although it seems to depend on the colour you choose. Not all of their colours show an ingredient list, so I emailed them to confirm this. One of their polishes listed, their ‘2 in 1 Top and Base Coat’ does not meet my requirements for ingredients (see here), but their colour ‘Wine O’Clock does meet my requirements (see here). I will update this when I get confirmation from them!
- Made in the USA
- Huge range of amazing colours to choose from
- Good price point and easily available on amazon.ca (shipping around $11) or through their website but shipping was $18 USD, so a much better price from Amazon
- They also have a kid’s line called Piggy Paint
- Can be purchased from sourceorganics.com with free shipping in Canada for orders over $85 CAD, however the colour selection is limited
- They no longer offer shipping to Canada through their website
- Water-based with a good colour selection
- Made in the USA
- I had great results with this one, and applied a topcoat for extra durability. There is no odour!
- Water-based (contains ~70% water) and made in Canada!
- I tried their clear base & top coat, which worked great. I applied it over the Karma Hues & Sophi polishes. There is no odour!
- The colour selection is more limited compared to most solvent-based polishes, and only some colours are vegan (they specify which ones so you can select this option if that’s important to you)
- They also offer peelable polishes and kid’s polishes, which add additional colour options along with the regular “adult” line
- Can be purchased through their website with free shipping on orders $50+, or limited colours are available on well.ca
Princess Polish by Pure Anada (affiliate link)
- Water-based and a Canadian company
- Free shipping option available through their website
- Limited colour options
- This brand was originally on my list of ones that contain benzephenone-1, but they have recently updated their formula and it no longer contains benzophenone-1!
- Canadian company with a free shipping option available on their website and is a mid-range price point
- Some colours are available on well.ca
- Good selection of lots of pretty colours on their website!
- Canadian company, and you can get free shipping through their website on orders $90+
- Good range of colour options and a reasonable price point
- Good ingredient list with a shorter list of ingredients compared to some other solvent-based polishes
- I appreciate that their website offers a variety of other natural products, making it easier to get free shipping!
- This brand was also originally on my list of ones that contain benzephenone-1, but they also have recently updated their formula and it no longer contains benzophenone-1! Look for the new formula with the name “Plant Magic”.
- You can buy it from well.ca with free shipping on orders over $49, however only some of their colours are available here
- Some colours are available on Amazon, but they are the old formula as of this writing
- You can purchase it through their website, but shipping to Canada costs $15- $25 depending on your order size, plus brokerage fees. They have a good colour selection on their website!
- Current rating on EWG (as of summer 2023) is based on their old formulation
- Rating of 5 on EWG, though I’m not sure if this rating is the most updated since Nailtural does not have their ingredient list shown on their website. For now, I’ve included them in this list based off the ingredient list shown on EWG, which says it was updated April 2022.
- I’m disappointed that they don’t have their ingredient list shown on their website, but will update this post if I am able to reach them and confirm it
- It is not the most ideal ingredient list, however this polish is available at Shoppers Drug Mart and Walmart, which makes it a great choice if you don’t want to order something online
- Cute packaging and a reasonable price point
- Another brand with a new formula that no longer contains benzophenone-1. Look for the new packaging with the white lid, which has a better ingredient list and does not contain benzophenone-1.
- Products on their website can only be shipped within the USA
- Some of this brand’s products are available on well.ca and at London Drugs, so keep an eye out for their new nail polish formulation with the white lid!
- Easy to purchase from well.ca with a free shipping option
- Limited colour selection with mostly shades of red, pink, and neutrals
- Their formula (based off of the ingredients listed on well.ca) is free from the most concerning ingredients, however it does contain some allergens such as wheat, soy, and corn ingredients. Unfortunately, these are probably from genetically-modified farming (although this is common among many non-toxic nail polishes, most likely because they are cheap ingredients and easy to acquire).
- They also have a kid’s line that is water-based, however the other water-based brands that I have reviewed in this post have better ingredients (Suncoat, SOPHi)
- Available from thegreenjunglebeautyshop.com with a free shipping option
- They do ship to Canada from their website, which was quoted to me at $19 USD so quite expensive!
- Good ingredient list and a great colour selection!
- Mid-range price point
- Looks promising as they say it does not contain benzephenone-1-3, however I can’t find the full ingredient list anywhere online. Because of that, I would rather purchase from other brands that do provide their ingredient list. They say that their polish is “12-free”.
- I found an ingredient list on another website here, but I will update this post if I am able to get confirmation from them
- Available from thedetoxmarket.ca with a free shipping option, but is a more expensive polish
There are also some other American brands with good ingredients, who deserve a shout-out! These brands are hard to get in Canada, but would be good for anyone living in the US:
- Honeybee Gardens (will ship to Canada starting at $15 USD for shipping)
- Kapa Nui Nails (this looks like a great brand from Hawaii but shipping to Canada was $40 USD for one bottle of nail polish!)
- Acquarella (unfortunately their website was not working correctly, and I couldn’t get a quote for shipping to Canada)
- Côte (free shipping to Canada is available if you spend $100+, but additional taxes/duties may apply at the border)
Nail Polish Remover
Another important thing to note is that nail polish remover can be just as toxic as the polish! Many of the brands above also sell their version of a less toxic nail polish remover. If you select a peelable nail polish, then you should be able to simply peel off the polish and not use a remover.
I currently use the nail polish remover from Pure Anada (affiliate link) and love it! Each of the ingredients are rated a 1 on EWG. It has very minimal odour, and more of an oily feel so it doesn’t feel so harsh on the skin. I like to wash my hands and feet after using it though to remove the excess oil. Please note that darker colours take a bit more time and effort to remove than lighter ones. (August 2024 UPDATE: unfortunately the formula for this one has changed, and I have not tried the new formula! I can’t guarantee that it’s as effective as the previous formula.)
Another non-toxic polish remover to try is the one from Suncoat (pictured below). This is the next one I’ll be trying!
In summary, if you consider all factors such as ingredients, shipping, safety, and colour options, here’s what I recommend for the best brands in Canada:
#1– In putting safety first, water-based polishes are the least toxic option with minimal ingredients, making Suncoat the best brand in Canada with it’s water-based formula, free shipping option, and nice variety of colours to choose from. The next best would be the water-based Princess Polish from Pure Anada, who also have a free shipping option, but less variety of colours. The next best option would be SOPHi, which is also water-based, but you have to spend more to get free shipping.
#2– The next best options are the solvent-based ones from Maison Jacynthe, Sienna Byron Bay, BKIND, and Huella. I would also include Karma Hues if you’re able to confirm the ingredients for the colour you want.
#3– The next best would be Pacifica‘s new formulation. I didn’t put them in the #2 category because only a small amount of their colour selection is readily available in Canada from well.ca (because shipping from their website is quite expensive!). But in terms of ingredients, they are comparable to the brands listed in #2.
I really hope this was helpful for you and has inspired you to take another step towards healthier living! While there aren’t as many options easily available here as there are in the US, let’s support the brands that we DO have available!
Thank you so much for this. After doing dips (weird smell and strange pain on nail bed) and getting my nail beds burned (doing biogels) and then years of just the stench of regular polish, this post helped me find some new solutions. I’m a contractor and no stranger to toxic smells, and then I thought why am I inviting this into my home?!?! I just ordered some polish from Suncoat. Very excited to try it out. Thank you for all your research, especially the info on what’s available in Canada. I wish these companies had more presence in the usual drug stores and cosmetic chains.
You’re very welcome, Rebecca! I’m so glad this was helpful to you! I hope you enjoy the Suncoat products 🙂
Thank you for this thorough work. Most of these brands I won’t be able to get my hands on in Europe. Have you any knowledge on Manucurist from Paris?
On my chemistry app for makeup and cleaning supply’s their green line shows up with the best possible rating which is with no hormone disrupters. I have been buying Nailberry for my daughters, because their branding says it is a clean nail polish… I just wished I had checked my app earlier, Nailberry gets the worst rating and now they have been using it for 2 years, my eldest might have used it longer.
Hi Camilla! I looked at the ingredients for the Green line by Manucurist, and I would say it is a pretty good choice overall. It isn’t the best I’ve seen, but definitely better than a lot of other brands! It looks to be a bit better than Nailberry. I hope this helps!
Thank you for this article and alternative brand lists! I didn’t think about bringing my own nail polish to salons. I’m going to try Sienna
You’re welcome! So glad it was helpful! I always bring my own polish now 🙂
Thank you for such a thorough article! What top brand do you use?
Sorry, meant to ask which top coat you use.
You’re welcome! The top coat I use is by Suncoat.