Key Ingredients

Some of the highest feedback posts and pieces lately were the ones about a recent "Brands We Love" piece on RGB Cosmetics and post on OPI's new color for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Both of these nail polish brands contain no Formaldehyde, Toluene or dibutyl phthalate (DBP), three toxins often found in nail polishes that have gotten a lot of attention over the last 4 years. Some brands of nail polishes have begun eliminating them from their nail polishes, but not necessarily from other nail care products in their lines and some brands still contain these ingredients. A couple of these ingredients have been banned or partially banned by the European Union. The same is not true for the United States yet. Some specific nail polishes listed as having a high toxicity* by the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database are Orly Nail Lacquer, Sally Hansen Hard As Nails, Maybelline Express Finish, Maybelline Fast-Dry, N.Y.C. New York Color Long-Wearing, essie (one of Hippi's faves that she now has to reconsider), Milani and Nail Tek.

A few nail polishes that we here at Sequins celebrate for their proactive elimination of these three ingredients from their nail colors are:

Zoya Nail Polish $7 per bottle at zoya.com

NARS Nail Polish $16 per bottle at narscosmetics.com

OPI Nail Lacquer $8 per bottle at drugstore.com

RGB Cosmetics $14 per bottle at rgbcosmetics.com

Lippman Collection Nail Lacquer $16 to $20 per bottle at lippmancollection.com

Adoree Nail Lacquer $6 per bottle at esthersnc.com

Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer $14 at ulta.com

Rimmel London Nail Enamel $4 per bottle at ulta.com










*We considered all nail polishes rated as having a toxicity of 7 or above on their 10-point scale as having a high toxicity.