Nail products can contain potentially harmful ingredients, and it is important to use them safely by following labeled directions and paying attention to any warning statements. Some nail ingredients are harmful when swallowed, but not when used on the nails, because the nail is a barrier that prevents absorption. For example, toluene sulfonamide/formaldehyde resin (TSFR) is used in some nail polishes to make the coating tough and resilient, but there is evidence that some people may become allergic to TSFR. Artificial nails are composed primarily of acrylic polymers and are made by reacting together acrylic monomers, such as ethyl methacrylate monomer, with acrylic polymers, such as polymethylmethacrylate. When the reaction is completed, traces of the monomer are likely to remain in the polymer, and in the early 1970s, FDA received a number of complaints of injury associated with the use of artificial nails.
Glycerin is a common ingredient in skin emollients and is used in nail products due to its humectant properties, which allow it to absorb moisture from the air.
Materials used in nail products can be considered positive or negative depending on whether they are added to the product intentionally or removed from the product during manufacturing. For example, Chlorinated Polyolefin 153-2 is recommended as an adhesion-promoting primer for untreated polyethylene-based substrates. Eastar™ GN007 Copolyester is a water-clear glycol modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with an added mold release, and Tenite™ Cellulose Acetate Butyrate 285-20 has a plasticizer level of 20% and contains an odor mask. Eastar™ copolyester MN210 and MN211 are brilliantly clear polymers with good impact strength, chemical resistance, dimensional stability, and low shrinkage rates, and the slower rate of crystallization of these materials makes them excellent for use in hot runner systems with valve or thermal gates.
