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43 Comments

  1. This product, OPI Nail Envy, has virtually destroyed my nails. My two baby finger nails are separating from the nail bed. Both forefinger and thumb nails split and tear. The other two nails on both hands have broken off repeatedly. My first bottle became glue like after a month so foolishly I bought another. My nails have gone from bad to worse and I finally figured out that this product was the culprit. I have stopped using it and hope that my nails will heal before I lose some.

  2. Hi! I can’t believe I never saw your blog before – I drive myself CRAZY toggling back and forth between EWG, retailer sites, and reviews. Your work is so important!

  3. I know this post is old but it’s new to me. so I’m reading the label on my o.p.i nail envy and it has formalhyde in it. I didn’t even think that was a thing anymore I mean it’s 2023 and to my knowledge this toxic stuff was removed. long story short o.p I still has formalhyde in their polish so obviously they lied. I can’t believe no one else has noticed.

    Anna A

    1. Hi Albrecht! Thank you for your comment! We appreciate you reading the ingredients and warning us! That’s why we always recommend reading the ingredient labels on products and contacting companies!

    1. Thank you for letting me know, Carol. I am in the process of checking and updating the ingredients. Companies often change their product formulations so it is good to double-check with them before making purchasing decisions. I am glad that you read the ingredients. ~Irina

  4. I have been very allergic to formaldehyde since my teens, especially in nail polish. I can wear Dior, Chanel and Estée Lauder with no problems.

  5. i have kidney disease and i was wondering where i can find a list of safe nail polish i can use ty karie

  6. Has there been a write up ( review) on OPI gel polish? I can’t find out what is in it! I have contact dermatitis and wondered if this is the culprit. I’ve had a patch test but would like to com pair the ingredients of gel polish to my test results!!

  7. Thank you so much for this information. I was wondering how Acquarella’s nail polish fared since they are supposed to be non-toxic.

  8. Scotch Natural would be an interesting one to look into, but it seems they either changed their name or went out of business? They are water based. I live in Seattle and there is a local organic nail salon called Julep that is 5-free.

  9. I would like for N Missy nailpolish be included in your research.
    This brand is sold in health food stores but what does that mean.

  10. Thanks so much for all you do to keep us informed, Irina. I am now using so many of the products you have investigated.

    I would like you to look into the nail polish line called “Dazzle Dry”.

  11. Thank you Irina … my daugther use nail polish and I found for her this one:

    ADESSE NEW YORK ORGANIC INFUSED GEL EFFECT NAIL POLISH.

    Ingredients
    GEL EFFECT INGREDIENTS: BUTYL ACETATE (1), ETHYL ACETATE(1), NITROCELLULOSE(1), ACETYL TRIBUTYL CITRATE(1), ADIPIC ACID/NEOPENTYL GLYCOL/TRIMELLITIC ANHYDRIDE COPOLYMER(1), ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL(2), STYRENE/ACRYLATES COPOLYMER(2), STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE(1), SILICA(1), N-BUTYL ALCOHOL(3/4), BENZOPHENONE-1(4), DIACETONE ALCOHOL(1), TRIMETHYLPENTANEDIYL DIBENZOATE(1), POLYETHYLENE(1), PHOSPHORIC ACID(1), SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL(1), ARGANIA SPINOSA KERNEL OIL(1), ALOE BARBADENSIS (ALOE) LEAF JUICE(1). MAY CONTAIN (+/-): YELLOW 5 (CI 19140)(3), RED 7 (CI 15850)(1/3), BLUE 1 (CI 42090)(1), VIOLET 2 (CI 60725)(2/5 cancer), FERRIC AMMONIUM FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510)(1/4), TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891)(1/3 cancer), ORANGE 5 (CI 45370)(4), BLACK 2 (CI 77266)(6 cancer), YELLOW 11
    (CI 47000)(3), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491)91/2), RED 28 (CI 45410)(1), RED 22 (CI 45380)(1), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007)(1/4), Red 30 (CI 73360)(5).ONLY RED, BROWN, BLUE, PURPLE, NO BLACK OR WHITE

    (1) is the ewg’s data base numbers.
    I saw one of the 3 concerns : Benzophenone, but the ones that are really safe she doesn’t like it because is gone fast!…
    I will love to know what do you think about this one 🙂

  12. Wow! Thanks so much for this article. I’m often shocked by how many women eat healthy food, take care of their bodies, and then get their nails done weekly and inhale toxic fumes and wear toxic chemicals on their nails. I bought a “natural” nail polish recently and it’s made by a company called SOPHi by Piggy Paint. I’ve only used it once, but it was durable and the color (POP-arazzi) is vibrant. Ingredients listed are: aqua, acrylates copolymers, neem oil, and May Contain titanium dioxide, ultramarines, red 7, iron oxide.

  13. Hi Irina,
    I would appreciate if you looked at “No Miss” and “Mineral Fusion” nail polishes.
    Thank you.

  14. Hello Irina!

    You do a remarkable job and you are also beautiful! I need to try some of your skincare products you recommend. Nothing works for me as I try to look better, but keep aging rapidly!! My face is getting so wrinkled and turkey neck is starting!

    I bought a blue polish from Whole Foods. Soon, I will not be shopping there at all since Amazon bought them out. Can you imagine the products that will be in that store from all over the world stating USDA Organic, but will be fake!?

    Getting back to the polish, the brand is Pacifica. I hate that it has aluminum in it, but it did not have the strong smell and it is “7 free”. So true what one of your reader’s said that we do not have time to look up everything. I do not like 100% Pure. I see another reader mentioned that one. Such a horrible smell and the smell lasts. It also has aluminum. I do not believe there are any that are 100% truly safe. As women, we love our toe nails polished. Keep up the great work in helping us decide what to put in our bodies as well as non-toxic products to use. We clean with vinegar, purified water and essential oils. Our essential oils may not be 100% organic but we use them for cleaning everything. Vinegar and water for the floor. Tea tree and peppermint works well and many bugs and rodents do not like the smell.

    Lately, we have been reading about many tumeric products that contain lead. Yes, even organic tumeric! That is a HUGE concern to us. We take it everyday in water with a dash of black pepper (helps it absorb in the body), and we give it to our dog twice a day in her food. She loves it! We do not love the taste but love the anti-inflammatory properties and many other positive wonders that this spice provides. But, we do not want LEAD! How do we find it in bulk without lead? Would need a scientist with a lab for that! Mike Adams from Health Ranger is a great guy and a whistle blower. He is the one who tested a few brands. He has his liquid brand that we have tried, but it is too sweet for us. Can you help us on that one my friend? Thank you again for everything you do. Amazing!!

    1. Hello, Joanna! Lead is not added to turmeric but would be found in it if turmeric is grown in the polluted environment. Since it is a concentrated product, “naturally occurring” lead would be concentrated, too. You are right, the only way to know is a particular brand of turmeric contains lead would be to test it. I think the easiest work around it is for you to take a blood test, which will show your ongoing exposure to lead. If you find elevated levels of lead, discontinue taking turmeric and then re-test. Let me know if you’d like to schedule a consultation and we can talk about this more. ~Irina

  15. Hi Irina, can you add to review Mineral Fusion and Pacifica, as they claim to be 7 free..Thanks, Mina

  16. Hi Irina!

    I’ve been trying to limit my use of nail polishes, but with that said I’d love for you to look into some of these:
    -Butter London
    -RMS Beauty
    -RGB
    -Priti NYC
    -Deborah Lippman
    -100% Pure

  17. Hi Irina, thanks for such a detailed break down!

    I’ve been trying to avoid OPI and use Essie instead. Some of Essie’s color choices are rated 5 on Think Dirty app (‘don’t sweater it’, ‘spin the bottle’, ‘bangle jungle’). I couldn’t find any OPI colors that are anything less than 9.
    Since there’s so much variance within one brand, where one essie color can be rated 5 and another one rated 9 … this makes it practically impossible to track … especially when you are at the salon, trying to pick a fun color!

    I’ve also bought Pacifica and Zoya nail polishes. Don’t really like Pacifica (their base/top coat is awful), but I like Zoya .. and as far as I know, it’s on the safe side.

    What I’ve been wondering is that – does the nail polish you use really matter if there’s a base coat? I understand some of the nail polish can leach through the base coat, but generally, shouldn’t we be more concerned with the base coat?

    On your rating list, I’d love to see OPI, Essie and Zoya polishes.

  18. Great article – thank you for sharing your research. I sometimes go to nail salons and usually bring my own polish, but have in the past used their “five free” or “three free” polishes. The last salon used Zoya polish. I personally use Butter London polish. Would be interested to know your opinion on those polishes.

  19. Im going to try Ella & mila. They claim to be 7 free. I’d be very interested in your report. There are also polishes that claim to be 9 free.

  20. Such an informative read…Just goes to show that with clever marketing we as the consumer are fooled easily if one does not dissect every ingredient, and who has time for that? Thank you Irina for all you do for us😊 You are a real sanity saver! Plesse could you add the Essence Nail Polish, especially their The Gel range, Essie, & Morgan Taylor? Looking forward to find out if there sre ANY safe brands at all?!🤔

  21. I recently purchased Suncoat Girl peelable kids nail polish based on the good rating on EWG’s skin deep database. It has no smell, claims to be nontoxic and does not require nail polish remover. After foregoing the use of polish for years I think this is a pretty safe option. They also have more adult peelable colors. It does peel off of fingers pretty easily, so it doesn’t stay neat looking very long; but toes that get less friction stay painted and cute! Ingredients listed are: Water, Acrylic Copolymers, Mica, Iron Oxides,
    Titanium Dioxide, Carmine, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Chromium Oxide Green, Ultramarine Blue, Polyethylene Terephthalate (glitters). In writing out these ingredients, I am realizing there probably isn’t a truly nontoxic nail polish (ferroCYANIDE??). Perhaps Suncoat peelable is a less toxic choice. Thanks for your smart, well researched blog!