Despite being a beauty staple, cheap drugstore nail polish can be more harmful to the environment than you think! Toxic chemicals, hard-to-recycle packaging, and plastic waste can create significant damage to you and your surroundings.
Fortunately, an environmentally-friendly nail routine isn’t just possible – it’s easy to achieve. If you’re on a journey towards reducing personal waste, below is everything you need to know about sustainable nail polish!
Are Traditional Nail Polishes Eco-Friendly?
First thing’s first – let’s talk about your current nail polish collection. Many traditional brands contain toxic, disease-causing substances. If you see any of the following ingredients in your bottle of nail polish, chances are they do significant harm to the environment.
- Dibutyl phthalate
- Toluene
- Formaldehyde resin
- Triphenyl phosphate
- Ethyl tosylamide
- Camphor
Prolonged use of toxic nail polish can potentially cause health conditions such as:
- Asthma
- Irritation
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Liver and kidney damage
- Loss of smell
- Skin disorders
- Reproductive loss
- Cancer
Not to mention, your typical trip to the nail salon will likely involve false plastic nails, files, nail polish bottles, and other materials that are not biodegradable. When not disposed of properly, these materials can be incredibly damaging to nature and wildlife.
What Makes An Eco-Friendly Nail Polish?
If you’re keen on making the switch to an eco-friendly, cruelty-free nail routine, it pays to know what makes a nail polish good for the ecosystem.
Environmentally friendly nail polish doesn’t contain unnecessary added chemicals, and comes in sustainable packaging. These green options typically come in a glass bottle. Overall, they are easier to recycle, reuse, or repurpose.
Tips For Making Your Manicure More Environmentally Friendly
Whether you’re a fan of DIY manicures or love visiting your local nail salon, these need-to-know tips can help reduce your waste and overall impact on the ecosystem.
Choose An Environmentally-Conscious Brand
The first thing on the shopping list: eco-friendly, cruelty-free, vegan nail care brands – and you can find them at Greentoes! Many of these products contain sustainable substitutes to the harsh chemicals you’ll find in traditional nail lacquer. These sustainable ingredients include:
- Crushed natural pigment
- Plant-based materials
Aside from eco-friendly, low-waste ingredients, most eco-friendly nail polish brands will use paper packaging instead of plastic.
Not sure how to spot an eco-friendly nail polish brand? One foolproof way is to check the label! Most cruelty-free vegan brands will come with Leaping Bunny or PETA certification. Some even go the extra mile and introduce a recycling program, allowing customers to return used nail care products.
Unfortunately, most glitter nail polishes are made with plastic microparticles, which can have devastating effects on marine environments and aquatic life. In fact, nearly 16 million tons of microplastics are currently polluting our seas. But that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your sparkle. Instead, you can choose nail products with biodegradable glitters that utilize mica.
Visit An Ethical Eco-Friendly Nail Salon
If you prefer a visit to the nail salon over an at-home manicure, you’ll be pleased to know that many salons are becoming more environmentally conscious. At Greentoes our nail salon uses green eco-friendly nail products exclusively!
Choose A Non-Toxic Nail Polish Remover
When it comes to chemical-laden accessories, nail polish remover is the worst of them all – they’re even worse than your base coat!
The good news is, you can now shop for eco-friendly alternatives that minimize their environmental impact. Look for vegan nail polish removers with oil-based or sugar based formulas.
Repurpose And Recycle Your Nail Accessories
We’ll be the first to admit that recycling empty nail polish bottles isn’t easy. If you don’t have any other use for them, you can try drive-by recycling programs. These programs provide a commission in exchange for empty bottles.
Alternatively, you can get creative with your unused nail lacquers by painting them onto jars or even windows!
Purchase Multiple-Use Nail Accessories
While organic cotton is biodegradable, waste often piles up quicker than it disappears.
The Bottom Line
Nail polish brands have long been a part of our self-care routines. However, traditional formulas contribute to severe waste problems and often do more harm than good. By switching to eco-friendly, cruelty-free vegan nail polish, you’re already giving the ecosystem – and yourself – a big helping hand!
If you want to add responsibly sourced and stunning nail polishes to your collection, visit Greentoes today! We use some of the best environmentally conscious polishes in the USA and offer comprehensive spa services that you’ll love.