{Toxic Free} Nail Polish || Ella+Mila
/I would like to preface by stating that I am, by no means, affiliated with this company, nor is this sponsored. All reviews and opinions are my own. In hopes of becoming more conscious of the chemicals that I expose my body to, I wanted to explore whether or not this company lived up to expectations.
Why ELLA + MILA :
I have been doing some research on how I can become more eco friendly and health conscious about the beauty products that I use and stumbled across this really chic, cute company online that specializes in vegan, cruelty free nail polishes. Although nail polish cannot be made purely organic, just yet, Ella + Mila has taken strides to ensure that their products are safer than the leading brands.
Why Care?
Let me preface by saying that I have, recently, been untrusting of the nail industry right now. I have been consciously trying to strengthen my own nails without having to use acrylic glue or gel nails. As consumers we really must take notice of the harmful chemicals that are in some of our most commonly used household products and nail polish is one of them. Many common nail polishes that are widely used have upwards of 15 random ingredient lists that are super toxic to our health and environment. Nail beds are extremely porous and the products that we place onto them can be extremely damaging to our health and wellness. Most nail polished are made with three common chemicals; Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) and Formaldehyde. Some even go as far as include four other dangerous chemicals like Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor, TPHP and Xylene). I am not a chemist, but even the names sound frightening.
WHY 7-FREE?
Ella + Mila products are made without the following 7 most harmful chemicals in the nail care industry:
Toluene is a liquid that is used as a solvent and has the familiar smell of paint thinner. You can be exposed to toluene by breathing it in or getting it on your skin, causing skin irritation. Unfortunately, inhaling high levels of toluene is said to be harmful to your nervous system and can cause light-headedness and nausea. Toluene is a toxin that may also cause birth defects and developmental problems in children of pregnant women who have had extended exposure.
Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) is a commonly used plasticizer and has been linked to cancer. DBP has also been connected to birth defects in studies involving lab animals. In fact, this toxin was added to the California Proposition 65 list of suspected teratogens, which are agents that cause malformations of an embryo.
Formaldehyde is a commonly used chemical to preserve and embalm dead animals (and humans). Its vapors are also irritating and can trigger asthma. Formaldehyde is also a known human carcinogen, a factor directly involved in causing cancer.
Formaldehyde Resin is a derivative of Formaldehyde, mainly used in the production of coatings and adhesives. It is not as toxic as Formaldehyde but can be an allergen.
Camphor is a poison that can cause seizures and disorientation if used in large doses. This chemical acts as a cover on your nails, depriving them of nutrients and causing yellow staining on your nails.
Triphenyl Phosphate (TPHP) is a chemical used in plastics to improve flexibility and as a flame retardant. A handful of animal studies and in vitro studies have suggested that it could be anendocrine disrupter which affects your hormones – in particular, it could potentially affect reproductive health and lipid metabolism (that’s where the “nail polish makes you fat” headline comes from).
Xylene is irritating to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. It can cause systemic toxicity by ingestion or inhalation. The most common route of exposure is via inhalation. Symptoms of xylene poisoning include CNS effects (headache, dizziness, ataxia, drowsiness, excitement, tremor, and coma), ventricular arrythmias, acute pulmonary edema, respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, and reversible hepatic impairment.
WHAT DID I BUY?
So with most information researched, I decided to give it a try. I purchased the base coat and topcoat duo and two colors; Mango Pop and I Need a Tan. I decided to purchase the base and top coat because if I was going to participate in an extensive review of the polishes, I wanted to make sure that I used the proper products to ensure a flawless application.
HOW DID IT DO ?
The first thing I noticed was that the packaging was super cute. Both the bottles & the packaging were designed with the holo elephant on the front. The second thing I noticed that I had ordered, unknowingly, two different sizes. Disappointingly, the Mango Pop was extremely tiny…like kid’s polish tiny…whereas the others were the standard-ish bottle size. I wasn’t too fond of the discrepancy of the bottle sizes, but that might have been a fault of mine for not looking at fine print somewhere—- {PAUSE} after taking a brief moment to check the website, I realized that they DO state the size [.24fl oz. vs .45 fl oz.] , but HEY I thought nail polishes were all one standard size unless designated with “kids” somewhere on the packaging or title. The third thing I noticed was that is smelled like normal nail polish. Okay, I am not sure exactly what I imagined it to smell like…probably roses or some type of essential oil because I did naively equate "7-free” with “all natural”, but obviously that is not the sitch. It still smells like chemicals… well, at least “less” harmful chemicals. In fact on the side of the box, it actually has a bunch of chemicals of which “ it could contain” and I became annoyed. However, like I said.. at least the most harmful chemicals were left out?
I was pretty impressed with the quality of the polish, though! Not going to lie, I thought that the consistency would actually remind me of my 6 year old niece’s playtime polishes—sticky and horrible with poor brushes. However, it wasn’t, thankfully. The applicator is pretty decent quality and the polish ,itself, is very pigmented easily allowing for the industry standard application of two coats. Also, the base coat and the top coat is worth it!! They work perfectly to properly prep and seal the manicure.
Wearability:
Good news! My nails didn’t chip on the first day applied! That’s a record for me… It did however chip on the second and third. Then again, I have super bad experiences when it comes to nail polish because I am not “ladylike” at all and am always rough with my hands. Regardless, it feels BEAUTIFUL to not have to worry too much about the super harmful chemicals that this polish lacks! I feel good enough to be able to apply it over and over again without feeling like I am damaging.
So are you convinced to give this brand a try!?
If not this brand, at least some alternative to damaging polishes?
Do you know of other brands that are manufacturing healthier beauty products and nail care?
Let me know in the comments below!
