Early humans used paint for aesthetic purposes such as body decoration.

Cosmetics

Nail polish

History

Thousands of years ago, the Chinese used a colored lacquer, made from gum arabic, egg whites, gelatin, beeswax and plants.

Egyptions used henna to color their nails.

1920’s

Most nail polishes are made of nitrocellulose dissolved in a solvent and either left clear or colored with various pigments.

Basic components: - Film forming agents - Coloring agents ( pigments) - Solvents - Resins and plasticizers - Adhesive polymers (e.g. tosylamide-formaldehyde)

Natural pigment

Most pigments used in manufacturing and the visual arts are dry colorants, usually ground into a fine powder.

This powder is added to a vehicle (or binder), a relatively neutral or colorless material that suspends the pigment and gives the paint its adhesion.

Pure pigment allows very little white light to escape, producing a highly saturated color.

A small quantity of pigment mixed with a lot of white binder, however, will appear desaturated and pale, due to the high quantity of escaping white light.

 All colors and pigments must be FDA approved.

Quick drying-----Low boiling point solvent ( Isopropanol)

Growth Enhancing----- Strengthening fibers and proteins

Long lasting----- Plasticizers

 Harmful components:

-Formaldehyde (preservative)

-Toluene (byproduct found in gasoline)

-Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a chemical used to keep nail polish from chipping, has been connected to cancer in lab animals as well as long-term fertility issues in newborns.

 http://www.naturalnews.com/020031.html#ixzz1Jzm70H5i

Edible  nail  polish?  Organic  or  Non-­‐toxic?  

Eco-friendly nail polish

A recent development (ca. 2003) is water-based nail polish, which is based on an acrylic polymer emulsion (e.g. styrene-acrylate copolymer), and pigments similar to those used in watercolor paints.    

-  Odor free -  No more solvent-based nail enamel -  Don’t last as long -  Lacks complete coverage

Nail Polish Art

Artwork by Eileen Hicky