Nail products like polishes, removers, and acrylics can contain chemicals linked to serious health concerns including cancer, reproductive harm, respiratory harm, and neurological harm.
Nail salon workers, who are primarily women of color, may suffer serious, dangerous impacts to maternal and fetal health as well as respiratory harm and reproductive damage because of their chronic exposure to toxic chemicals in nail products.
Professional nail salon workers also face temporary health effects, ranging from headaches, dizziness, and cracked skin from exposure to chemicals like toluene, to adverse skin, eye, and throat reactions from acrylates (ethyl acrylate, ethyl methacrylate, and methyl methacrylate) found in artificial nail products like acrylic nails.[1]
[1] NICNAS. Inventory multi-tiered assessment and prioritization for 2-propenoic acid, 2-methyl-,methyl ester. Australian Department of Health and Ageing. 2013. Available online: https://chemycal.com/dap/files/Guidance/201408-NICNAS.pdf.
As a result of public pressure mounted by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, nail giant OPI agreed to remove the most toxic ingredients from its nail polishes, including dibutyl phthalate, toluene and formaldehyde also known as the “toxic trio.”
The Cosmetic Safety for Communities of Color and Professional Salon Workers Act of 2021 in U.S. Congress would create cosmetic safety protections for women of color and professional hair, nail and beauty salon workers – two vulnerable populations who are most at risk of unsafe exposures because of the toxic chemicals in the products marketed to them or commonly found in their workplaces. Part of the larger Safer Beauty Bill Package, take action to make beauty and personal care products safer for all!
Looking for a Safer Alternative?
Use Clearya’s app to find non-toxic products! Clearya alerts you to toxics and helps you find safe products.
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