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When it comes to nail polish, it’s time to ditch the toxic chemicals. There are a variety of non-toxic nail polish options that provide vibrant, long-lasting color without hazardous ingredients. While most nail polishes aren’t totally chemical-free, some options are a lot healthier than others.
The best non-toxic nail polishes are free of dangerous chemicals like formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and toluene. When looking for healthy nail polish, you can also find ones that are vegan and cruelty-free, meaning they don’t involve any animal products or animal testing.
Opting for healthy or even organic nail polish can help protect your nails, skin, and overall health. Plus, you won’t inhale the irritating solvents and other chemicals that give traditional nail polishes that strong, pungent scent.
Read on for the best healthy nail polish brands available today (including our top pick for non-toxic nail polish for kids), along with a closer look at which ingredients to avoid next time you paint your nails.
What Is Non-Toxic Nail Polish?
Non-toxic nail polish has all the vibrant color and long-lasting properties of conventional nail polish, but it doesn’t use chemicals that can damage your health and the environment.
You’ll often find clean nail polish that labels itself as 5-free, 10-free, or 21-free (or another variation). This means that the nail polish excludes five, 10, or even 21 of the worst common nail polish chemicals from their formula.
However, that doesn’t mean so-called non-toxic nail polish doesn’t contain any chemicals — it’s tough to find ones that are 100% clean and healthy.
But you can find nail polish that’s a lot less toxic than the traditional kinds and is free of the most dangerous ingredients found in other nail lacquers.
Ingredients to Avoid in Nail Polish
So, what are some of the worst offenders in conventional nail polish? Here are some ingredients to steer clear of:
- Formaldehyde: While some nail polish companies use formaldehyde as a preservative and nail polish hardener, it’s a known carcinogen and can also irritate your skin and cause respiratory issues and allergic reactions.
- Toluene: This solvent has been linked to nervous system disorders and liver and kidney issues. In the short term, it can cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Pregnant women should especially be careful, as prolonged exposure to toluene can disrupt the development of the embryo or fetus.
- Dibutyl phthalate (DBP): This plasticizer helps makes nail polish more durable, but it’s been linked to hormone disruption and reproductive issues.
- Formaldehyde resin: Formaldehyde resin may be slightly less harmful than pure formaldehyde, but it can still irritate your skin and cause allergen reactions.
- Camphor: The strong odor in traditional nail polishes is usually due to camphor, which can cause allergic reactions and skin irritation.
- Ethyl tosylamide: This ingredient has been linked to antibiotic resistance.
13 Best Non-Toxic Nail Polishes for Healthy Nails
Now that you know what chemicals to avoid in nail polish, let’s dive into our recommendations for the best healthy nail polish options.
1. Karma Hues
Karma Hues organic nail polish contains calcium and coffee extract to strengthen your nails without any icky formaldehyde. It’s chip-resistant, durable, and dries quickly on your nails. It’s also cruelty-free, and we love that it comes in 100% recyclable packaging.
This organic nail polish is free of toxic ingredients like 
2. Lakur Enhanced Color by Londontown
If you’re looking for a non-toxic gel nail polish, Lakur by Londontown fits the bill. This luxurious nail polish delivers gel-like wear and shine with an easy application. It gives you high-impact color while strengthening and moisturizing your nails with botanicals.
Plus, Londontown’s healthy nail polish is 21-free and never contains formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, formaldehyde resin, camphor, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, TPHP, or bisphenol A.
This vegan, breathable, gluten-free, and cruelty-free polish comes in a bunch of high-pigment shades, including Portobello Plum (pictured), Violet Hibiscus, Heat Wave, Tipsy Mermaid, Pearl, Chai, Pink Strawberry, Jane Austen, and Berry Fizz.
3. Emilie Heathe
Emilie Heathe’s natural nail polish definitely wins our prettiest packaging award. Even better, the magnetic bottles are made of 50% post-consumer recycled glass and the outer packages are both recycled and recyclable.
This cruelty-free, vegan nail polish is enhanced with bamboo extract, sea buckthorn oil, rice bran oil, vitamin E, zinc, biotin, and coconut oil to strengthen and nourish your nails and cuticles.
We love the sophisticated color options too, which include Periwinkle, Burnt Orange, Crème Purple, Crème Red, Rose Gold, and Sheer Pink.
This healthy nail polish is 10-free and doesn’t contain parabens, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene, xylene, ethyl yosylamide, DBP, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), or animal-derived ingredients.
4. Ella + Mila
This vegan, cruelty-free nail polish from Ella + Mila is fast-drying, glossy, and long-lasting. Its chip-resistant formula keeps your nails protected, and it’s made in the USA, which helps you reduce your carbon footprint. For a richly pigmented mani-pedi with a smooth finish, check out Ella + Mila’s pretty shades, which include Dulce Amor, Cosmo Pink, Ibiza Breeze, and Cup O’Latte.
Ella + Mila’s nail polish is “17-free;” it doesn’t contain acetone, animal-derived ingredients, bisphenol-A, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, gluten, glycol ether of series E (gycol ethers derived from ethylene oxide), nonylphenol ethoxylate, parabens, phthalates (including DBP), styrene, sulfate, toluene, triphenyl phosphate (TPHP/TPP), or xylene.
5. Piggy Paint (best non-toxic nail polish for kids)
Piggy Paint is our top pick for non-toxic nail polish for kids. This vegan, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly nail polish uses a water-based formula that’s free of harsh chemicals. It’s virtually odorless and was created by a mom for kids of all ages.
For a shiny, scratch-resistant finish, blow dry your child’s painted nails for one minute on a warm/low setting. Be warned that they might fall in love with all the fun color options, which include enticing names like Dragon Tears, Clouds of Candy, Ice Cream Dream, Shimmy Shimmy Pop, Mermaid in the Shade, Lime Time, and Neon Lights.
6. SOPHi
Made by kids’ non-toxic nail polish 
Unlike traditional chemical-laden, solvent-based nail polishes, SOPHi polish is pretty much odorless, so you don’t get that chemical smell when painting your nails. It comes in a variety of pretty shades with fun names like Mi Amore (pictured above), Fearless, Dance Lilac, Don’t Coffee Me, Pop-arazzi, and Pretty Shore About You.
7. Nails.Inc Plant Power Vegan Nail Polish
8. Zero 20-Free Nail Polish
For lasting chip-resistant color and a professional-looking mani-pedi at home, check out Zero 20-Free Nail Polish. This gluten-free and vegan polish is made in the USA without harsh chemicals, heavy metals, fragrances or dyes.
It comes in mainly subtle, earthy shades like Fog-et About It (the mauve gray pictured and linked above), Dune Try Me, and Camel-By-The-Sea, but there are some bolder color options too, including The Fuschia Is Bright and Cor-All or Nothing.
9. 786 Cosmetics
786 Cosmetics offers an 11-free nail polish that’s free of 
You can find a bunch of lovely shades named after places around the globe, including Azores, Cusco, Granada, Havana, and Provence.
10. Jolie Vegan
As the name suggests, Jolie Vegan’s nail polish is vegan and cruelty-free. We love how each of these PETA-certified nail polishes comes with an inspiring bit of advice to make you feel strong and confident. The shades are meant to make you feel good too, with names like 
This happy and healthy nail polish is 10-free and made without toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP, camphor, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, parabens, acetone, triphenyl phosphate, or fragrance.
11. SpaRitual
For your next at-home spa day, check out SpaRitual’s vegan, cruelty-free, and 12-free nail polish with evocative shades like Community Gardens, At the Boardwalk, Jazz in the Park, Communal Joy, and Friends and Festivals.
This healthy nail polish is made without formaldehyde, DBP, touline, animal-derived ingredients, or other chemicals. According to the company, SpaRituals believes in self-care rituals that help you slow down and return home to yourself. We couldn’t agree more!
12. Kure Bazaar
French-based company Kure Bazaar makes glossy nail polish from up to 90% bio-sourced ingredients, including wood pulp, wheat, cotton, potatoes, and corn, as well as extracts from bamboo and vitamin E. It goes on gorgeous, slick, and shiny with can’t-go-wrong colors like French Nude, Cappuccino, So Vintage, Rose Punk, Tea Rose, Bohemian, Caicos, and more.
Kure Bazaar’s nail polish formula is 10-free and made without toluene, formaldehyde, DBP, synthetic campher, TPHP, paraben, xylene, styrene, and benzophenone-1-3.
13. Ten Over Ten
This 8-free, vegan, and cruelty-free nail polish from Ten Over Ten uses a naturally nourishing formula with salon-quality results. This company makes sustainability a priority from sourcing to shipping to packaging. Its highly pigmented nail polish goes on smooth for streak-free shine and long-lasting color.
Each color is named after a street in New York City, so keep an eye out for shades like Austin, Bowery, Broadway, Market, Madison, Greenwich, and Hester.
Nail Your Next Manicure With Healthy Nail Polish
While it’s tough to find nail polish that’s 100% organic and healthy, the options on this list contain a significantly less toxic ingredient list than traditional nail polishes. By avoiding hazardous chemicals like formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP, you can enjoy gorgeous nails without endangering your health or well-being.
Plus, non-toxic nail polish isn’t only beneficial to you, it also contributes to a healthier environment. By supporting brands that prioritize sustainability, cruelty-free practices, and eco-friendly packaging, you help create a more conscious and ethical beauty industry.
For more of our favorite clean beauty products, check out these guides:
- Best Organic Lipsticks for Greener Glamour
- Best Natural Eye Shadows for Clean Beauty
- Best Natural Blushes for a Gorgeous Glow
Non-Toxic Nail Polish FAQ
What exactly does “non-toxic” mean in relation to nail polish?
Non-toxic nail polish refers to nail lacquer that’s formulated without the harmful chemicals found in traditional nail polishes. It’s primarily made with ingredients that are considered low-risk and non-hazardous to our health. That said, it’s tough to find nail polish that’s 100% natural and chemical-free, so read over the ingredient list to make sure you’re comfortable with the formula. If you have specific concerns or allergies, it’s always a good idea to read product labels. You could also consult with a dermatologist or healthcare professional for personalized guidance.
Are non-toxic nail polishes available in a wide range of colors and finishes?
Yes, absolutely! Non-toxic nail polish brands recognize the demand for a healthy formula and diverse shades and finishes. You can find an array of vibrant colors, trendy shades, and various finishes, including high-gloss, shimmer, and glitter.
Are non-toxic nail polishes cruelty-free and vegan?
Many non-toxic nail polish brands place a strong emphasis on ethical practices and offer cruelty-free and vegan options. However, it’s important to check individual brand policies and certifications to make sure.
Do non-toxic nail polishes have a strong odor?
Non-toxic nail polishes generally have a milder and less overpowering odor compared to traditional polishes. Some are virtually odorless. Others may have a slight scent due to natural or essential oil-based ingredients. However, there are a lot less fumes, so you don’t have to worry about inhaling toxic chemicals while painting your nails.
