Nail polish brands that are non-toxic

I was pretty disappointed today.

The fall always inspires me to wear nail polish. Something about the changing light and colors makes me want to bring a pop of color to my nails.

I actually stopped wearing nail polish a couple of years ago because of rumors I had heard about its toxic ingredients - beyond gel options.

Not having enough free time, I never looked into the ingredients to understand if they were actually bad. Not wanting to take the risk and not having enough time to upkeep a nice manicure, I simply stopped.

Up until around 2021, you wouldn’t find my nails bare. It was a ritual – apply a new color on Sunday night to start the week fresh, remove the old one on Saturdays after a heavy workout and before washing my hair. The thinking was, any leftover polish or acetone would come off as I shampooed my hair.

Then, life got too busy. I didn’t want to show up to work with chipped nail polish and gels was something that just sounded even more toxic. More on this below

Today, I was inspired and pulled out my nail polishes (yes, they are old!). I pulled out Smith & Cult, which touts its formulas as safe. Anxious to get the color on my nails, I had to slow myself down to look through each one of the ingredients.

My disappointment was finding 2 pretty harmful ingredients, which happened to be banned in the European Union, in a product claiming to be safe 🙁

Those same ingredients and worse ones were in Essie nail lacquers and OPI still has formaldehyde in them! Now that is wild!

🎯 The problem

So who are the culprits here in my “clean” nail polish?

p.s., if you're on mobile, these tables will look better if you turn your phone horizontally

Ingredient	Classification	Banned or found unsafe for use in cosmetics?
ACRYLATES COPOLYMER	Contamination concerns given the chemicals it is composed of	Not in this form But see its composition
Made of:
METHACRYLIC ACID	Toxic or harmful to organ systems by the EU and Canada
ACRYLIC ACID	Toxic or harmful to organ systems by the EU and Canada
BENZENE	Known human carcinogen by the EU, the EPA, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the National Toxicology Program Possible human reproductive or developmental toxin by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Toxic or harmful to organ systems by the EU and Canada	EU Cosmetics Directive Health Canada Int’l Fragrance Association ASEAN Cosmetics Association
2-ETHYLHEXYL ACRYLATE	Known human lung and skin toxicant by the EU Expected to be toxic or harmful in Canada
STYRENE / ACRYLATES COPOLYMER	Contamination concerns given the chemicals it is made of Same chemical combination as Acrylates Copolymer but doesn’t contain Benzene	Banned in the European Union given the health concerns shared by The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
BENZOPHENONE-1	Human endocrine disruptor - strong evidence	Banned in the European Union due to its genotoxic potential and evidence of endocrine activity

Mind you, this was the ‘safe’ brand.

There are other worse ingredients included in more commercial brands like Essie and OPI:

Ingredient	Classification	Banned or found unsafe for use in cosmetics
OCTOCRYLENE	Toxic concerns given Benzophenone (see above) is one of its 3 components	Under review by the EU
PROPYL ACETATE	Expected to be toxic or harmful to the organ system by Canada
TOSYLAMIDE/EPOXY RESIN	Possible role in antibiotic resistance and allergenic potential	Not banned anywhere but clean nail polish brands stay away from it
TOSYLAMIDE/ FORMALDEHYDE RESIN	Expected to be toxic or harmful to the organ system by Canada It contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen	Banned in Washington State as of 2027 Under review in the EU

🕙 The journey

It has been very hard to find a nail polish brand that is non-toxic (i.e., free from these ingredients).

I got a recommendation for Zoya. I looked up the ingredients. It has Styrene / Acrylates Copolymer which doesn’t make me feel super safe. So, I’m opting for not getting that one.

I’m not saying be boring and don’t wear nail polish brands from U.S. manufacturers.

Some of these harmful chemicals are not that terrible in low doses.

The key word here is ‘low doses’. This is an important point because you may be using other products with these very same chemicals - cleaning and laundry products are ones that come to mind as general culprits. So it is important to keep an eye out for how often your body comes into contact with them.

So after hours and hours of research and running to “clean” stores, I did find a couple of nail polish brands that are non-toxic, have fabulous colors, perfect for fall and winter and are long lasting (I'm on my 8th day with Olive & June and it is still chip-free without using a base coat or top coat)

🏆 The Solution

✔️ Habit Cosmetics - This is the cleanest I was able to find. It doesn’t include any of the toxic ingredients listed about and the colors are so chic!

✔️ Olive & June - They still include Acrylates Copolymer but not the Styerene type (the more toxic cousin). This makes me feel better and, at low exposure, this should be okay. I have it in black

✔️ Natural nails - There is nothing like beautiful healthy nails. I had a boss who would only let her manicurist see her nails because they had yellowed. Remember, going bare, also has its benefits - it let’s your nails get back to their healthy selves and there is nothing more beautiful than nicely trimmed, filed and well-cared-for nails.

One last comment on gel polishes: TPO - Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide.

This chemical was banned in the European Union this September 2025. It has been classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction.

This follows tests on rats and other animals, where higher doses were given to the test animals. The result was fertility and reproductive issues. The EU in general bans chemicals that could potentially cause cancer.

Their approach is to ban chemicals that may be harmful whereas the US takes the approach that, if at a low doses it doesn’t cause harm, then it is okay. This is why all these toxic chemicals are allowed in our products.

The risk is that those ingredients and chemicals that are “less harmful” at low doses show up in many products we use at home and the doses we are exposed to are higher than approved. Just look at phenoxyethanol - ok at low doses but I bet you it is in every single product you have at home...but back to nail polishes...

With TPO, you may not be exposed to higher doses given its usage. So, if you’re in love with your gel polishes, just keep in mind the exposure you are getting to these toxic chemicals and make sure you’re not applying them via other personal care or home care products.

If you have any tips or have found an amazing nail polish that you love. Please drop it in the comments!

And if you want to send me a love note, I’m at Alexandria@alexandriacollective.com