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Ecoholic: How toxic is your manicure?

SALLY HANSEN MIRACLE GEL

Nail colour that stays on without chipping for two weeks sounds like a dream, but is it safe? Yes, most big-name brands are free of the toxins of years past, but don’t assume much beyond that. Sally Hansen’s Miracle Gel contains hormone-disrupting triphenyl phosphate and propyl paraben. At least this home gel doesn’t call for UV curing lamps (upping your exposure to cancer-causing rays) or 20-minute acetone soaks like salon gels do. (Dermatologists are finding that gel manicures and the acetone soaks required to remove them can damage nails and trigger skin reactions.) Pro tip: best to stick to LED lamps if going

to a salon. And ask for a list of ingredients before a gel or shellac.

SCORE: N


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REVLON/ESSIE/OPI/MAYBELLINE

Over the last decade, most major nail polish brands on the market have gone “3-free,” dumping carcinogenic formaldehyde, neurotoxic toluene and hormone-disrupting plasticizer dibutyl phthalate (DBP) from their regular polishes. (Opi still uses formaldehyde in its nail strengtheners.) According to 2012 testing by California state, discount nail salon brands like Dare to Wear, Sation as well as China Glaze were the biggest culprits caught lying about 3-free claims. (Essie, Opi and Zoya polishes tested negative. The study didn’t test retail brands such as Revlon or Maybelline).

SCORE: N 


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SPA RITUAL/BEAUTY WITHOUT CRUELTY/LACC/ZOYA

Once all the big boys went 3-free, a group of niche nail brands upped the stakes and advertised themselves as vegan, cruelty-free and “5-free” or higher (Lacc, for instance, says it’s 10-free). That means they avoid DBP, toluene, camphor, formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin and/or parabens. Sadly, it turns out they, too, were substituting plastic-softening TPhP for DBP. (Zoya uses it in the top coat and base coat). What a bummer. Butter London fans will be happy to know it ditched TPhP in 2014, but old stock may still be on shelves. Read those ridiculously tiny ingredient lists before you buy – that is, if the bottle has one.

SCORE: NN


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PACIFICA/ GABRIEL

Looking for classic nail polish that’s not just 3-, 5- or 10-free but also free of suspect TPhP? Pacifica, Gabriel and Canada’s own Pure Anada, as well as Priti NYC, No Miss, 100% Pure, Trust Fund and Treat should all be totally triphenyl phosphate-free. They’re not as clean as water-based nail polishes (they’re solvent-based), but they perform just as well as mainstream nail polish brands and come in a full range of colours. So if you’re not into water-based options, these should be your go-to. 

SCORE: NNN


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SUNCOAT

This right here is the cleanest way to paint your tips. Now, anyone that’s ever tried a water-based nail polish knows that they can be a total disaster (sorry, Scotch Naturals!). And, yeah, Guelph’s Suncoat Water-based nail polishes used to flake off like mad. But it’s been reformulated and now stays on pretty decently (just wash and dry your hands beforehand, and apply three coats and a clear topcoat). It’s best on toes. The nice part is there are no heavy headache-triggering fumes, and these guys are the only ones who use exclusively natural/mineral pigments tested for heavy metals. (Vegans take note: there’s insect-derived carmine red pigment in some colours.) Like all nail polishes, water-based polishes contain plastics. But Suncoat’s the best-performing of the water-based options. There’s even a nail art and zero-VOC peelable Suncoat Girls polish.

SCORE: NNNN


Mink fat with your pedicure? 

If you’ve ever had a pro pedicure, you know salon workers slap that base, polish and top coat on so fast it hasn’t fully dried before you’re out the door. Which is why many pedicurists will mist your toes with special drying sprays. What you may not know is that two of the most popular nail-drying sprays on the market are mink-oil-based. Not only creepy, they would definitely clash with your cruelty-free polish.

Want more Ecoholic? Go here.

ecoholic@nowtoronto.com | @ecoholicnation

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