[sidebar]Unsafe At The Salon The chemicals that have experts the most concerned have been dubbed the “toxic trio”: toluene, a neurotoxic solvent that helps nail polish go on smoothly; formaldehyde, a cancer-causing preservative; and dibutyl phthalate, a chemical that keeps nail polish flexible but is known to interfere with reproductive hormones. Scary stuff, which is why consumers have been taking comfort in polishes labeled “nontoxic”—until now. The report’s authors purchased 25 different bottles of nail polishes used at salons and tested them for those three ingredients. Of those, 12 claimed to be free of toluene and at least one of the other toxins. The results: Just two of the 12 products were actually free of toluene. One product advertised as being free of all three chemicals actually contained higher levels of dibutyl phthalate than the products without any claims. How does this happen? “This is a perfect example of the failure of our regulatory system,” says Jamie Silberberger of the National Healthy Nail and Beauty Salon Alliance, a coalition of public health advocates pushing for better product safety and improved health conditions in nail and hair salons. Unlike polishes sold in stores, nail polishes used only in salons aren’t required to list ingredients on their labels.
So how can you trust that you won’t pollute your lungs with your weekly mani-pedi? It’s hard, but not impossible, says Silberberger. OPI, one of the most common nail polishes used in salons, was shown to be free of all three toxic chemicals. Or you can play it safe by bringing nontoxic nail polish to the salon with you. Honeybee Gardens and Aquarella are two water-based brands that have earned low-hazard ratings from the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. Also see: Are Your Skincare Products Dangerous?, Beauty Products For Animal-Lovers, Toxins In Your Home
