Breathable nail polish: the latest beauty frontier

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Breathable nail polish: the latest beauty frontier

‘5-free’ nail polish. If you’re as mad about your mani as I am, you may have heard the phrase being bandied about.

But what does ‘5-free’ actually mean? Well, it’s great nail polish, minus five carcinogenic chemicals that studies have shown are bad for your nails – and body.

Just in case you’re curious, these are the baddies (in no particular order):
– toluene
– formaldehyde
– formaldehyde resin
– camphor
– dibutyl phthalate (DBP)

If you like the sound of painting on a healthier polish, you’ll be pleased to know beautyheaven is home to the fabulous 5-free brand, Sea Siren. We adore their ‘All that shimmers’ Collection

And now the French salon brand, Nailberry, has gone a step further, using ‘oxygenated technology’ to create a 5-free polish that’s also breathable, or more permeable to oxygen.

This means air and moisture can pass through the polish coating, resulting in healthier nails. For now, breathability is a relatively new concept, but we’ll be interested to see whether other brands follow suit.

Of course, if your fave nail polish doesn’t fall into the ‘5-free’ or breathable category, there are other ways to keep your nails healthy. Moisturising your cuticles and nails with an oil such as Sea Siren Sealicious Cuticle & Nail Oil or The Body Shop Almond Nail & Cuticle Oil is a beauty habit that will pay off. Acetone-free nail polish remover is also a must. Our members rate Sally Hansen’s Acetone Free Remover For Healthy Nails.

It’s also worth going for these ‘3-free’ polish options (meaning they’re free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBP):
essie
Polished London
OPI
Maybelline New York
Natio
Revlon
SinfulColors
ModelCo
CND
Bodyography

Do you like the sound of ‘breathable’ nail polish? What other beauty products do you wish were kinder to your skin/hair/body?

Have you tried any of the products mentioned?

Review them now to earn points that you can swap for free beauty products in RewardsRoom.

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