A woman with vegan nail polish.
A vegan person does not eat any animal or any animal product. Vegans do not want to use animals for human consumption and therefore can extend the vegan lifestyle to other non-food products such as cosmetics. Cosmetics such as nail polish may contain animal parts or animal products. Vegan nail polish meets the vegan lifestyle as it contains no animal products and can also go the extra mile and not be tested on animals or contain less synthetic chemicals than regular nail polish.
Vegan nail polish generally contains fewer artificial chemicals than regular nail polish.
Common ingredients in non-veg nail polishes include fish scales, animal fats, and crushed insects. The essence of the pearl, which are fish scales, gives shine to pearlescent enamels. Carmine, which is a dye formed by the grinding of the cochineal beetle, gives the product a red color. Oleic acid, which is derived from animal fat, may be present as another ingredient. A vegan nail polish manufacturer must use other substances, which have similar properties, to give the nail polish its red color or shine.
Mica chips are often suspended in the glaze to give it a shine.
Examples of vegan alternatives to pearl essence are the natural mineral mica or the artificial substance synthetic pearl. Metal particles like brass or aluminum can also have the right gloss quality. Oleic acid can be obtained from plant sources rather than animal sources. Animal dyes can be substituted for vegetable dyes, such as beet juice or the root color of the alkanet plant.
Vegan nail polish generally contains fewer artificial chemicals than regular nail polish.
In addition to being animal-free, a vegan nail polish often contains fewer artificial chemicals than regular nail polish because this can be a concern for some vegans. Common chemicals like toluene, formaldehyde, and phthalates may not be on the ingredient list, and instead of these chemicals and others like alcohol, the polish may contain water as a base. A vegan water-based nail polish dries by evaporation in the same way as regular nail polish and cannot release chemical vapors like a normal product during the drying process. Many vegan nail polishes simultaneously contain synthetic chemicals and natural products of non-animal origin.
Animal testing is another factor in some vegan nail polishes. Nail polishes are often not tested on animals or labeled cruelty-free. Vegan nail polish removers are also commercially available as an option to regular nail polish removers. These removers contain ingredients like fermented corn ethyl acetate and vegetable glycerin.