Ingredients For Nail Polish

Nail polish has become an indispensable part of the fashion etiquette. Have you ever wondered about the ingredients of this cosmetic, which gives color and sheen to your nails. Coloring nails has been a beauty statement since the time of ancient Egyptians, who used henna to color their nails and hair.
But, the fore-runner of the present day nail polish was discovered in China, around 3000 BC. This colored lacquer was made of egg whites, Arabic gum, gelatin and beeswax. Later, they discovered that a mixture of alum, mashed rose, petals of impatiens and orchids can be applied to the nails to achieve a color ranging between pink to red. Even though the Chinese are credited with the discovery of the earlier version of nail polish, there are some researchers, who believe that this discovery belongs to the Japanese or the Italians.
Evolution of Nail Polish
The earlier versions of nail polish were soon replaced by more and more sophisticated ones, which became a part of beauty and fashion trends. It has been observed that the portraits made during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries displayed shiny nails. With the onset of the nineteenth century, scented red oils were used to polish the nails, which were buffed later with a chamois cloth. Even the recipe books of that period included methods to make such nail paints. The practice of ‘polishing’ the nails continued throughout the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Women used to massage colored powders and creams into their nails and polish them to give a shiny look.
The discovery of the modern-day nail polish was inspired by the creation of automobile paint during the 1920s. This polish, which was similar to car paint was invented by Michelle Menard during this period. The modern-day nail polish contains nitrocellulose, dissolved in a solvent. But, it should be the nail grade nitrocellulose and not the industrial one, which is cheaper than the former. Nitrocellulose is flammable and explosive, and is also used in the manufacturing of dynamites.
Nail Polish Ingredients
The modern-day nail polish comes in tiny bottles attached with a small brush to apply the lacquer. Once applied, this nail polish hardens to form a smooth and glossy coating on the nails. Usually, this coating can last for several days before chipping off. Though, the formula of preparation of nail polish varies with various manufacturers, the basic nail polish food ingredients are film forming agents, plasticizers, resins, coloring agents and solvents.
The most common nail polish ingredient is nitrocellulose dissolved in a solvent. Nitrocellulose is cellulose nitrate, which is a liquid, mixed with microscopic cotton fibers. These fibers are processed to even smaller particles during the manufacturing process. Nitrocellulose is available in different viscosity levels and are purchased as per the desired viscosity of the final product, which is also used for nail care. This nitrocellulose cannot stick to the nails and requires some adhesive polymers, like tosylamide-formaldehyde resin, for this purpose. Plasticizers, which are chemicals, form links between the polymer chains and ensures that the film is flexible. These resins and plasticizers protect the nail polish from dissolving in water and soap solution. Pigments and some sparkling particles are added to the solution to give the color and glossy appearance. Thickening agents ensure that the sparkling particles are well suspended in the solution. Ultraviolet stabilizers are nail polish ingredients, that prevent the color change of the nail polish, on getting exposed to sunlight.
In short, nail polish is a suspended product, which keeps the particles like coloring pigments and sparkling agents well suspended in a solvent, for a period of around two to three years. After this period, the particles will get settled, which can, to some extent be restored by shaking the bottle. This method will be of no use in case of a very old bottle of nail polish. Even though, the use of nail polish chinafooding ingredients are restricted and controlled by the FDA, it is claimed by environmentalists that, still some of the nail polish companies are using some dangerous chemicals in the manufacturing process. You can also check the nail polish ingredients before buying this cosmetic product. If it contains anything that is banned by the FDA, then it is safer to refrain from buying that product, which is very widely used for nail art.