It’s no secret that there are more sketchy chemicals lurking in our personal care products than we’d like to admit. While as a beauty lover I’ll never give up all of my products for say, a jar of coconut oil, over the past couple of years I’ve been much more aware of the toxicity of certain products in my medicine cabinet. And slowly but surely, I’ve begun to make the swap the scary stuff for more pure options. Sadly, one of the “dirtiest” beauty product categories is nail polish, and understandably so: the ingredients that allow for that super-shiny, “vinyl-like finish” that we all love do come with a price. The good news is that smart brands have been graduating from “three-free” formulas to “five-free” and even “eight-free” formulas, meaning that you can still have shiny, bright nails minus the most worrisome additives. Click through to meet seven brands that are blazing the non-toxic nail trail—and check out my shade picks for spring!
featured image by taea thale
We just featured tenoverten founder Nadine Ambramcyk, so call us partial, but we swear we have been long-term fans of tenoverten’s beautiful shades and eight-free formula. I’m currently loving Grand, a pretty metallic bronze.
Zoya Naked Manicure Set
I’ve always loved Zoya polish, but I fell head over heels for the brand when I got to experience their new Naked Manicure collection backstage at fashion week. Zoya’s creative director applied the polish to my bare nails, and not only did they instantly look a million times better, I swear they grew considerably within days. Total game-changer.
Tea Time Nail Lacquer
Butter London was one of the first brands to ring in the “seven-free” trend, proving that you don’t need toxins to make lacquer that lasts for a full ten (!) days. I’m partial to Tea Time, a pretty mocha-pink.
7 Free by Pacifica
This seven-free polish features an extra-wide, 100% vegan brush for precise application—and how cute is the Tangerine Speedo shade for warm weather?
RGB Dove Nail Polish
I’m obsessed with gray nail polish, so of course I’m enamored with this gorgeously pale, five-free version this season.
Cosplay by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
I love how densely pigmented these five-free lacquers are; you can really get away with only one coat! Plus, how awesome is Cosplay, this teal green? I can already picture it on my toes in a slick pair of white sandals.
Sinopia by Jin Soon
Jin Soon’s five-free polishes are amazingly quick-drying, and I love her incredibly innovative shades, like Ube, a new pale yet vivid lavender.
