Avoiding Toxins in the Nail Salon

There are 10,000 chemicals used in nail products, 89% of which have not been evaluated for safety. In the US, there is presently no independent governing agency that reviews cosmetic ingredients for safety prior to being placed on the market and manufacturers are not required to list hazardous chemicals such as cancer-causing phthalates on their ingredient labels.

The cosmetology industry is the largest professional licensed population in the nation and is still growing. Nail salons have more than tripled in quantity over the last two decades. Women comprise over 95% of all nail salon workers, and most are of reproductive age, making them particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of dangerous chemicals. Cosmetic chemicals linked to birth defects in animal studies have been found in acetone, glycol ethers, and methyl methacrylates. Other chemicals in nail products include phthalates, toluene, formaldehyde, benzene, and  methylene chloride, all of which are known or…