3 Free
For decades, consumers have been decorating their fingertips with color. The industry has seen everything from tiny, intricate art work to dip-dyed designs. But the latest in nail color has nothing to do with color and everything to do with the ingredients themselves.
About the Forbidden Three
On the chopping block are Formaldehyde, Toluene, and Dibutyl Phthalate (BDP).
- Formaldehyde resides in many formulas as a way to prolong your paint job. But formaldehyde is also an ingredient in cigarettes and embalming fluid . . . coroners use embalming fluid to preserve dead bodies. Appealing, no?
- Formaldehyde resin is not part of the standard "3 Free" fare, but it is a part of many nail color formulas. Some consumers are allergic to the stuff, and must proceed with caution.
- Toluene is an industrial solvent, but it also gives your polish a pleasant texture that applies smoothly.
- DBP is a component in industrial equipment, and it prevents chips in your nail color.
The Great Debate
Though the trio boasts some unsettling uses, some swear that the ingredients are harmless. The FDA, for example, insists that they are perfectly safe, while others claim they are carcinogenic. And though their safety is questionable, some manufacturers continue to use them as long as the law allows.
Assuming that the ingredients are harmless, one idea is certain. These ingredients damage the nail. They will cause your natural nails to crack, chip and tear until there is no free edge at all. Even if the ingredients are safe, do you really want that?
3 Free Products
While the list of 3 Free products changes and grows constantly, one company delivers a consistenly compatible product. Butter London's 3 Free line offers an impressive array of colors, none of which contain the three offending ingredients.
Be nice to your nails and coat them in a nail polish that cares. After all, 3 Free, it seems, is the way to be.
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