Nail polish is a product that’s used by millions of women every day. It’s also one that can contain harmful chemicals, which makes it important to know what you’re putting on your nails. Some nail polish brands contain endocrine disruptors—chemicals that can interfere with your body’s hormones and cause health problems in the long term.
Endocrine disruptors are often found in cosmetics, including nail polishes and other beauty products like lotions and shower gels. In this article we’ll look at why these harmful chemicals exist in cosmetics at all, how they’re detected by scientists (and how they affect us!), as well as how to avoid them if possible!
Contents
Are you using nail polish that contains a potentially harmful chemical?
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormones and can cause negative health effects. These chemicals can be found in many household items, including nail polish, shampoos, textiles and plastics.
The specific effects of endocrine disruptors on human health are still unclear but they may play a role in cancer development and other serious conditions such as obesity or diabetes. There is also evidence that some endocrine disruptors may contribute to infertility or birth defects when used during pregnancy (1).
There are several ways you can protect yourself from exposure to these harmful chemicals: try organic products whenever possible; make sure your home is free of toxins by getting rid of old furniture; avoid swallowing water while showering if possible; don’t put plastic wrap over food before cooking it because this could leach chemicals into your dishwater; if possible switch to reusable bags for grocery shopping instead of disposable ones which contain BPA
What are endocrine disruptors?
Endocrine disruptors are substances that interfere with hormone function in the body. Some examples of endocrine disruptors include:
- Bisphenol A (BPA)
- Phthalates
- Polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs or dioxins
Why do some cosmetic brands use it?
- It’s cheaper.
- It’s a good solvent, which means it can be used in a wide variety of products.
- It’s a good pigment carrier, which means you can use it to color your nails and make them more durable.
- It makes the polish feel smoother on your fingers than regular nail polish does, making it easier to apply evenly across all nails (or at least most of them).
- Nail polishes containing ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) tend to have better adhesion properties than other types of nail polish because they’re less likely to peel away in big chunks when applied over topcoatings like gel or acrylics; this also makes them last longer before needing re-doing again due to chipping off during application.
Which companies make safer nail polishes?
You can find safer nail polishes from a number of different brands. Here are some of the better-known ones:
- Essie (US)
- OPI (Europe)
- China Glaze (US) – this brand does not sell in the EU or US, but it does ship to Canada and Australia.
Takeaway:
To conclude, here are some brands that make safer nail polish:
- Rimmel London and Essie.
- Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure and Hard as Nails.
There are also some companies that use endocrine disruptors in their nail polish:
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a nail polish that’s safe to use and won’t dry out your nails, try one of these options. All of them are formulated without endocrine disruptors—and they should be good enough to last longer than one coat!