nail polish
Nail polish is a cosmetic product , with the finger and toe nails painted be. Nail polish is available in different colors and as a clear lacquer . It mainly consists of nitrocellulose (nitro lacquer), of volatile solvents and, as long as it is not a clear lacquer, of color pigments . The specification of the ingredients has been mandatory in the European Union since 1997 and is regulated in Germany by the Cosmetics Ordinance .
application
Nail polish is usually sold in 5–15 ml glass containers. The plastic lid has a small brush on the underside, which is dipped into the paint when the bottle is closed. When the vessel is screwed on, the lid serves as a brush handle and for applying the varnish to the nail.
A first applied base coat , also known as a base coat , should make it easier to apply the varnish evenly, improve the adhesion of the nail varnish and at the same time prevent the colored nail varnish from penetrating the fingernail. Then the (color) varnish is applied. A top coat as the last layer after applying the color coat should make the result last longer.
A nail polish remover is used to remove nail polish . To do this, the area to be cleaned is treated with a cotton pad or cloth moistened with nail polish remover . Nail polish remover is suitable to a limited extent for thinning dry lacquers. Nail polish as well as nail polish remover can trigger allergies or inflammations such as nail bed inflammation . Alternatively, various manufacturers offer special primer lacquers , so-called peel off base coats (from English peel off, "peel off" and base coat ), which allow the nail polish to be peeled off without using nail polish removers or other solvents. However, these can shorten the shelf life of the varnish applied over them and thus encourage premature chipping and, if they do not come off easily enough, damage the nail surface when peeling off.
In addition to the pure cosmetic products, there are also inconspicuous nail polishes that are used for nail care or medical purposes. A bitter and pungent-tasting nail polish is intended to keep children from sucking their thumbs and biting their nails.
As a permanent nail polish or permanent Nail Polish (PNP) colored acrylic lacquer is referred to, which is usually on the modeled nails can be carried.
A similar product is Zaponlack .
consistency
Nail polish is usually liquid. This liquid lasts for at least a year, depending on the quality of the paint. If the nail polish becomes viscous after a certain time, it pulls threads, which makes it difficult to apply. On the other hand, so-called nail polish thinner works . Nitro thinner or universal thinner for paints can also be used.
ingredients
Nail polish consists mainly of a polymer, typically nitrocellulose (nitro lacquer), which is dissolved in a solvent (e.g. butyl acetate or ethyl acetate ). Color pigments (e.g. iron oxides, titanium dioxide) are added to colored paints; Other substances such as resins (e.g. tosylamide-formaldehyde resin), plasticizers (e.g. dibutyl phthalate or camphor ), gloss agents (e.g. mica) and UV filters (e.g. benzophenone-3) can also be used be included.
Problem ingredients
Some ingredients in nail polish can be harmful to your health. It is important that the nail is not impermeable to harmful substances. Nail polish fumes can also be harmful.
Particularly noteworthy is the formaldehyde , which contributes to the hardness of the paint , which is classified as carcinogenic and can trigger allergies, itching and redness around the nail. However, if the nail polish is used properly, the dose is so low that practically no cancer-causing effects are to be expected. The solvent toluene (banned in the EU, but contained in many American and Asian nail polish brands), which can damage nerves, kidneys and possibly the liver and which is also reproductive and teratogenic , as well as the plasticizers dibutyl phthalate and camphor should also be mentioned. Benzophenones are suspected of interfering with the hormonal balance. Triphenyl phosphate can cause allergies. Acrylates released into the room air can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory organs. Despite a ban in the EU, nitrosamines , which are carcinogenic, have been detected in some nitrocellulose-based nail polishes .
Contact allergies are often due to nail polishes, especially toluenesulfonamide-formaldehyde resin , and other ingredients are less of a concern .
Some natural cosmetic nail polishes are made on the basis of bio-alcohol or shellac in order to avoid controversial solvents, plasticizers and formaldehyde.
history
Chinese women painted their fingernails long before the turn of the century in ancient China . In the West, the first nail polishes didn't hit the market until the 1920s. The manufacturers took over the use of pigments for paints, which was developed in the automotive industry , and replaced the dyes and colored oils that had been common up until then. In 1932 the brothers Charles and Joseph Revson and Charles Lachman founded the Revlon company and successfully marketed the nail polish produced with their marketing strategy. Revlon later developed lipsticks that were color-matched to the nail polish, which also led to a boom in the lipstick industry.
Trivia
When Uma Thurman wore Chanel's Rouge Noir nail polish in the film Pulp Fiction , the color was the first nail polish to be sold out worldwide in 1994. Since then, certain shades have been so trendy that they are often not available for long or are even auctioned on the Internet at prices of several hundred euros.
Web links
- Nail polish test (May 2012 - 6/2012), Stiftung Warentest
- Nail polish test (June 2018), Ökotest
Individual evidence
- ^ Wilfried Umbach: Cosmetics and hygiene. 3rd edition, Wiley-VCH Verlag, Weinheim 2004, pp. 332ff, ISBN 3-527-30996-9 .
- ^ Base coat. In: leo.org online dictionary English-German. Retrieved August 11, 2017 .
- ↑ to peel sth. Off. In: leo.org Online dictionary English-German. Retrieved August 11, 2017 .
- ↑ Peel Off Base Coat - Is It Damaging? in NailCareHQ.com , accessed August 11, 2017
- ↑ What is toluene? In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. November 19, 2007, accessed October 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Gloria v. Bronewski: How harmful is it to paint your nails? In: www.welt.de. May 24, 2019, accessed October 15, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Toxic substances in nail polish. In: www1.wdr.de. January 3, 2019, accessed September 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Nice and colorful - but nail polish can be harmful! In: www.basel-express.ch. Retrieved October 15, 2019 .
- ↑ Stiftung Warentest: Risk of cancer in nail polish - why you should keep your fingers off some bottles. In: www.stern.de. September 4, 2017, accessed October 15, 2019 .
- ↑ Roland Irion: Nail cosmetics: Type I contact allergens. In: www.alles-zur-allergologie.de. 2009, accessed October 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Anita Essig-Knop: Cosmetics: Can nail polish harm? In: www.apotheken-umschau.de. December 29, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Who invented it: nail polish. In: fem.com
- ↑ Paint me! In: one day, Spiegel Online , May 28, 2010, accessed on February 12, 2017.
- ↑ Nail polish trends. In: Legal Tribune online .