Polish and lacquer addicts, listen up! Many of your favorite polishes could actually be wreaking havoc on your health. Luckily, there are plenty of brands out there that are committed to keeping their polishes chemical free — “5-free” to be exact. To be considered 5-free, products must be formulated without formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde resin and camphor. To take the guesswork out of finding these finger- and toe-friendly polishes, we’ve rounded up 24 of our favorite 5-free brands to keep your digits pretty, polished and toxin-free.
1. Kure Bazaar Kale Natural Nail Polish ($17): Kure Bazaar kisses petrochemicals goodbye, trading out the traditional nail polish formula for one made up of 85% natural materials, like wood pulp, wheat, cotton, potatoes and corn. Their 65 different colors are fab, fast-drying and crazy resistant.
2. LVX Roux Nail Color ($16): Five-free, cruelty free, vegan-friendly and a huge selection of on-trend colors? We’re saying yes, please to LVX. The gel-like formula delivers long-lasting shine without all those nasty toxins, plus the company launches new colors every season inspired by hot-off-the-runway hues.
3. Julep Jenna Nail Color ($14): In addition to a slew of great colors, Julep nail lacquers get in our good graces by kissing carcinogens goodbye. Their 5-free and vegan-friendly formula includes strengthening hexanal and antioxidant green coffee extract to keep nails at the top of their game.
4. Acquarella Demure Nail Polish ($16): This water-based, non-toxic polish is a great choice for gluten-free ladies. In addition to leaving out everything from formaldehyde to petrochemical solvents, they make sure every bottle is free of gluten or wheat byproducts too.
5. Chanel Le Vernis Nail Color in Paradisio ($27): Chanel fanatics, rejoice! The iconic brand has ditched dirty chemicals in their Le Vernis line, leaving you with nothing but quality color for perfectly put-together nails.
6. Cult Cosmetics Break Water Nail Polish ($12): Start your adventure on the road to better health with Cult’s bright playful shades inspired by the California coast. One of the coolest features of these eco-friendly lacquers? Their single-coat formula means polish goes on thick and dries fast, so you’ll never need more than one coat.
7. Scotch Naturals Bitter ‘N’ Twisted Nail Lacquer ($15): Scotch Natural nail lacquers aren’t just 3-free, 5-free or even 7-free; they’re All-Free, meaning you won’t find any phthalates, parabens or toxins in their polishes. They use a specially formulated nature-based, non-toxic and eco-friendly formula with all-natural shellac (a resin secreted by tiny insects) to give nails a professional finish.
8. Tenoverten 001 Jane Nail Polish ($18): Tenoverten’s arsenal of awesome clean colors are named after city streets in Downtown Manhattan, which is almost as cool as the company’s commitment to being vegan-friendly and cruelty-free.
9. Priti NYC Dark Warrior Orchid Nail Polish ($15): The brainchild of founder Kim D’Amato, a concerned mom-to-be who saw an opportunity in the lack of great natural beauty products on the market, Priti NYC has quickly become a favorite of moms, It Girls and even big-name designers everywhere. With over 100 shades, these UV-protective, chip-resistant and glossy polishes allow you to keep nails healthy without compromising on style.
10. La Couleur Couture #1950 ($13): Vancouver-based La Couleur Couture dishes out a range of high-shine, long-lasting hues that say no to parabens, gluten, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP, camphor and toluene.
11. Zoya Meadow Nail Polish ($9): Husband and wife team Zoya and Michael Reyzis combined their cosmetology and chemistry knowledge to create a ground-breaking non-toxic nail formula for Zoya’s salon and spa just over two decades ago. The couple have since amped up the operation, bringing their innovative and trendy offerings to ladies across the nation.
12. Londontown Lakur Foglifter ($16): This fab line of nail treatments and lacquers is all about detoxifying your nail-care routine. Whether you opt for one of their many high-pigment hues, nail hardener or top coat, every product is packed full of vitamins and minerals to keep nails looking their best.
13. Sheswai Lacquer Good Vibes Nail Polish ($16): Eco-chic bottles with sustainably harvested wooden caps are just one more reason to love Sheswai’s non-toxic nail polishes.
14. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Palest Lavender Nail Lacquer ($10): You get a big bang for your buck with these handy little bottles. Formulated with professionals in mind, the health-conscious polishes pack serious color using just a few drops of polish.
15. NCLA Posh and Privileged Nail Polish ($18): Whether you like to go matte or can’t live without a little glitter, NCLA uses non-toxic ingredients to create fun, funky polishes to satisfy every taste.
16. Mineral Fusion Midnight Ridge Nail Polish ($8): If you’ve ever had the chance to use any of this natural and eco-friendly brand’s products, you know it’s good stuff. Staying true to their Formula Purity commitment, Mineral Fusion’s 61 shades are free of carcinogens, synthetic fragrances, gluten and talc.
17. RGB Cosmetics Punch Nail Color ($18): Stripping their polishes of harmful chemicals, RGB is dedicated to bringing high quality beauty products to the masses that don’t compromise their health. And if you’re in the market for 100% natural and non-toxic polish remover, they’ve got that too.
18. Jin Soon Pop Orange Nail Color ($18): Jin Soon Choi knows a thing or two about a good manicure. Which is probably why she’s quickly become a backstage fixture for some of the fashion industry’s hottest designers. And while we’re obsessed with every one of the timeless and trendy colors in her range of fantastic polishes, it’s their 5-free formula that’s chock-full of high-tech polymers and UV filters that really keeps us coming back for more.
19. Jenna Hipp What’s Hot Now Nail Collection Spring Collection ($32): Cool, of-the-moment colors and an eco-friendly formula render Jenna Hipp’s line of nail polishes a must-have for every manicure-loving maven.
20. Deborah Lippmann Makin’ Whoopee Nail Crème ($18): Nope, no chemicals here. But what you will find are some hilariously named polishes made with biotin and green tea extract to give nails a serious boost.
21. Ella + Mila Ibiza Breeze Polish ($11): Don’t let those cute bottles (aww, elephants!) fool you — these PETA-approved polishes aren’t just free of the five nasty chemicals commonly found in nail lacquers, but they also offer serious staying power, high shine and plenty of covetable colors.
22. Habit Cosmetics Sunset Boulevard Nail Polish ($18): Nail polish can do some serious damage to nails, leaving them weak and, well, blah-looking. Habit’s secret weapon, myrrh extract, not only strengthens nails, but has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties that will send bad nail days packin’.
23. Ginger + Liz Never a Dull Moment ($12): Influenced by travel, the arts and fashion, Ginger + Liz is all about fun, funky colors that won’t hurt your health.
24. Pacifica 7-Free Nail Polish in Tangerine Speedo ($9): We see your 5-free and raise you 7-free. Say what? That’s right — 7-free. Not only are Pacifica nail polishes made without using the big five toxic offenders, they also say bye bye to parabens, xylene and animal products too.
What are you favorite eco-friendly or all-natural beauty brands? Tell us in the comments!
