Best Non-Toxic Nail Polish Options

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Best non-toxic nail polish options
Wellness Mama » Blog » Beauty » Best Non-Toxic Nail Polish Options

I’ve written about how to make just about every natural beauty product I can think of, from deodorant to mascara, but one thing I’ve never been able to find a DIY recipe for is nail polish! While I still believe consuming gelatin is the best way to get beautiful nails, I do love a nice manicure or pedicure (usually administered at home with my girls).

Conventional nail polish can be one of the most toxic beauty products around and many contain a host of harmful chemicals. These chemicals are especially harmful to children and pregnant women, so I set out to find some safer alternatives that would help us keep our pretty pink toes.

Problems With Nail Polish

So how do chemicals get from your nails into your body? Well for starters, there’s a real mix of toxic chemicals in the nail polish.

Nail polishes often include:

  • Toulene– A chemical known to cause reproductive harm and dizziness. It is also found in gasoline and the CDC warns that it can cause central nervous system problems.
  • Formaldehyde– This known carcinogen is found in many nail polishes. It is also used to preserve dead things and when used in lab preparations, there are strict warnings to avoid inhalation or skin contact.
  • Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) -This chemical is banned in Europe and is known to cause reproductive problems, especially in boys. The Environmental Working Group classifies this chemical as the highest danger level and warns that it can cause organ problems and endocrine disruption.
  • Assorted other chemicals.

Nail polish removers are equally problematic and the fumes are especially harmful.

Are There Safe Options?

I stay far away from conventional nail polish, but with three daughters, I wanted to find some less toxic options that they could use occasionally. Many brands claim to be safe and natural, so we did a lot of research to narrow down to a few to try.

My daughters and I tested some of the top options that had a safe rating in the Environmental Working Group database. We had great results with several of the brands we tried, while some didn’t work well at all.

I’ve shared our top picks below, but it is important to note that even these safer options still have some chemicals in them and I wouldn’t use them all the time.

If you’ve been using conventional nail polish, not only would I suggest stopping right away, but also to dispose of conventional nail polish carefully. The EPA classifies nail polish as household hazardous waste (perhaps a hint we shouldn’t be using it) and requests that it is disposed of in a proper hazardous waste disposal site. You can use this directory (in the US) to find a hazardous waste disposal site near you.

It is also important to note that nail salons typically do not use non-toxic nail polish options. This means the air in nail salons is usually highly contaminated with chemicals. I suggest avoiding nail salons entirely, but if you do go to one, ask about the nail polish and removers they use and look for safer options.

Non-Toxic Nail Polish Options

These are our favorite nail polish options of all of the brands I researched and all of the ones we tried. I enlisted my daughters as testers on these since they are typically very active and tough on their nails.

1. Acquarella

Acquarella ranked a 1/10 on the EWG database. It is definitely pricey so it isn’t one I would use regularly, but it stayed on nails and didn’t have a strong chemical smell. It is available in a lot of colors and my daughters wanted all of them.

Aquarella nail polishes are water-based, free of the chemicals listed above, and even vegan and wheat free. They also make a non-toxic nail polish remover.

2. Honeybee Gardens

Another favorite with my tiny testers. This brand is also water-based, free of the three dangerous chemicals, and has a low rating on the EWG database. It is available in 25 colors, including this lovely hibiscus.

I like how you can remove this nail polish with vodka or rubbing alcohol and not have to buy nail polish remover at all.

3. Piggy Paint

Definitely gets the award for cutest name and these were a favorite with my kids. This brand didn’t seem to stay on nails as long, but that was fine with the kids since they want to change nail colors often anyway.

Best Natural Nail Polish Options

Piggy Paint is also one of the least expensive brands. We tried this sampler trio and it was less expensive than a single bottle of some of the other brands we tried.

Fun fact: Piggy Paint also sells cute little nail art stickers in a variety of designs. They are tiny, so they’re the perfect size for little fingers and stay on really well when covered with a top coat or sparkly polish.

4. Suncoat

This is another non-toxic option with an EWG rating of 1. The interesting thing about Suncoat is that it peels off easily, meaning you do not need nail polish remover. This ended up being fun for the girls, but it also didn’t last long on their nails since they had so much fun peeling it off.

5. ella+mila

While I haven’t tried it personally, this nail polish brand avoids the 7 worst chemicals in conventional nail polish. It is also available in an enormous range of colors and finishes (including sparkles!). They also claim to be chip resistant, fast drying, and vegan. I also think my girls would love the adorable little elephant on the bottle. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Want more natural nail care? Try this homemade cuticle cream to get nails looking their best before a natural manicure!

Do you use nail polish? Have you ever looked at non-toxic nail polish options?

These non-toxic nail polish choices are water-based, natural, free of chemicals toulene and formaldehyde and rated safe by the Environmental Working Group.
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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

217 responses to “Best Non-Toxic Nail Polish Options”

  1. Dahlia Avatar

    Have you heard of KlPolish? Is it as clean as the brand you mentionned above?

  2. Ashley Avatar
    Ashley

    Have you tried Poofy Organics? BEST I’ve tried and free of the top 12 toxins!

  3. Linda Russell Avatar
    Linda Russell

    I am trying to find info on black seed oil and oregano oil for breast cancer!

  4. Corrine Avatar
    Corrine

    I like the nail polish from 100% Pure, I believes it’s top 8 free. I’m wearing it right now! I would love a better non-toxic nail polish remover option though!!

  5. Hannah Avatar
    Hannah

    I just ordered a non toxic nail polish off Etsy from Little Ondine. It also peels off which was appealing to me not to have to use nail polish remover. Can’t wait to try it!

  6. Lindsay G Avatar
    Lindsay G

    Have you found that these polishes also damage nails? I’ll never forget watching several demonstrations of women painting packing peanuts (those little styrofoam pieces companies sometimes pack boxes with), and watching the styrofoam literally melt and erode away. If it does that to a synthetic material, I can’t image how it erodes our natural nails. I’ve often noticed my nails much weaker after using conventional nail polish. So my question is, were your nails weaker, stained or brittle after these natural nails polishes?

  7. Michelle Avatar
    Michelle

    Also look into Knocked Up Nails. Their formula is made especially so it will be safe for use during pregnancy, but of course anyone can use it! Good deal too, at only $10 a bottle! From the website :Our 5-free pregnancy safe nail polish formula does not contain toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate or camphor. Our hip, modern hues are long-lasting and chip resistant; and all of our polishes are cruelty free, vegan, gluten-free and made in the USA. We show a little extra lovin’ to the preggos with our 5-free nail polish, but Knocked Up Nails is also safe for allergy sufferers, cancer patients & children. Knocked Up Nails does not contain Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP).

  8. Mackenzie Avatar
    Mackenzie

    Trust Fund Beauty makes the best non-toxic nail polish in a ton of fun colors. They also have other amazing beauty products. All their products are safe during pregnancy too!

  9. Christina Avatar
    Christina

    LOVE ella + mila. Long lasting, great colors and their nail polish remover works really great. I tried karma naturals as my first transitional brand and they were inconsistent. Ella + mila is the best.

  10. Milene Avatar
    Milene

    I tried the DIY nail kits from Brambleberry / Soapqueen. They use a base free of those chemicals as well and you can customize the colors with Mica, which is fun.

  11. Maureen Avatar
    Maureen

    Check out Lisieux nail polish….believe they avoid the 7 toxins and they are a small Catholic company ?

  12. Rhiannon Avatar
    Rhiannon

    Planet Organic (this is a UK company, with shops in London) sell one that (I can’t remember the name) peels off, is non-toxic and comes in many different colours. Dries very fast, too.

  13. Kelsey Avatar
    Kelsey

    Ella + Mila is a great choice! It doesn’t go on super evenly, and took a while to arrive from Hawaii…but the smell is much more tolerable! I bought a light shade of pink and a double coat lasted about 4-5 days before it no longer looked great. And the price is right!

  14. tia Avatar

    I cannot say enough great things about Little ondine!! It is LIFE CHANGING. The polish stays on longer than regular polish for me, toes last at least a month. NO SMELL, no nail polish remover, i can paint my nails anywhere. It’s water based and totally non toxic. I tried it a year ago and will never go back. I even bring it to the nail salon and make them paint my nails with it when I want a pedicure. Do yourself a favor and try it!! Just dont wash hands within 4 hours or so. I tend to do mine at night. I followed this thread to find a new solution and everytime I get a notification, I keep meaning to come on here and say I was in your shoes before and I am SO happy i found what i found!

  15. Melanie Avatar
    Melanie

    I’ve heard good things about Zoya, any thoughts on this brand?

  16. Amy Avatar

    I absolutely love ella + mila polish! It wears very well and lasts weeks on my toes.

  17. lina Avatar

    I’ve tried ella + mila. I love the variety of colors and that is free of a lot of chemicals. However, it does have strong smell and does not stay long on nails

  18. Cardy Avatar

    I’ve been curious about dangers of occasional gel manicures (2x a month). So far I know there are different brands with different ingredients, and that the lights can be different.

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