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In the hunt for non-toxic nail polish to paint my (very eager) daughter’s nails with, I tried several different nail polishes that were allegedly non-toxic. Upon further review, though, these so-called healthy nail polishes contained concerning ingredients that I didn’t want on my daughter’s nails. I finally stumbled upon two great options that we now turn to whenever we want to do manicures at home. In this post, I’ll dig into the good, the bad, and the pretty for my two favorite brands of non-toxic nail polish for kids: Piggy Paint and Karma Kids. Read on for the full scoop.
Ingredients to Avoid When Looking for Non-Toxic Nail Polish for Kids
First, what ingredients should be avoided in non-toxic nail polish for kids? Here are some of the worst offenders:
- Formaldehyde: Can you believe they actually put formaldehyde in nail polish? It boggles the mind. Although used as a preservative and nail polish hardener, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen that can irritate the skin and lead to respiratory problems and allergic reactions.
- Toluene: Linked to nervous system disorders and liver and kidney problems, this solvent can cause short-term issues like headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Pregnant women need to exercise caution as prolonged exposure may disrupt embryo or fetus development.
- Dibutyl phthalate (DBP): While enhancing nail polish durability, DBP has been associated with hormone disruption and reproductive concerns.
- Formaldehyde resin: Though slightly less harmful than pure formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin can still irritate the skin and trigger allergic reactions.
- Camphor: The strong odor in traditional nail polishes often comes from camphor, which can induce allergic reactions and skin irritation.
Both Karma Kids and Piggy Paint avoid these yucky ingredients in their non-toxic nail polish for kids, making them a far healthier and less risky choice. Here’s a closer look at these two products.
Karma Kids Nail Polish: The Good, The Bad, and the Pretty
Here are my thoughts on Karma Kids nail polish after using it for my daughter’s last few manicures.
Karma Kids: The Good
There are quite a few things to like about Karma Kids nail polish. The first is that it is made without the most serious and concerning toxins found in traditional polishes. It’s free of seven ingredients you will want to avoid exposing yourself and especially your kiddos to: TPHP, toluene, formaldehyde, DBP, camphor, xylene, and parabens.
In other good news, this nail polish is never tested on animals. Karma Kids uses recyclable packaging and bottles their polish in glass, so they aren’t contributing more plastic that ultimately ends up in a landfill.
This nail polish actually stays on surprisingly well for kids’ nail polish. In full disclosure, I began my daughter’s mani with Piggy Paint’s base coat, which helped the nail polish stay on for a few days. My daughter has been swimming multiple times, playing in the mulch at the playground, and making mud pies, and here are her nails after four days of wear:
Pretty good, right?
Karma Kids: The Bad
Although Karma Kids non-toxic nail polish for kids is free of the most offensive ingredients, it stills contains some questionable stuff. Here’s a full list of the ingredients in Karma Kids nail polish: Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/ Glycols/Copolymer, N-Butyl Alcohol, Silica, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Benzophenone-1, Acrylates Copolymer, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Trimethylpentanediyl Dibenzoate, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polyurethane 33, Bis (Glycidoxyphenyl) propane/Bisamino-methyl-norbornane Copolymer, Aluminum Hydroxide.
May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Yellow No. 5, D&C Red No. 7, Blue 1 Lake, D&C Violet 2, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, D&C Orange No. 5, D&C Yellow No. 11, D&C Red 28, D&C Red 22, Ultramarine Blue, Green Neon Pigment, Aluminum Powder, Lavender Neon Pigment.
From my extensive research, the majority of these ingredients are rated as a “low toxicity concern” by the EWG and other sources, and are generally accepted as safe and non-toxic in small amounts for children and adults.
There are a few concerning ingredients, however, in this nail polish, including Benzophenone-1, which is a “moderate endocrine disruptor.” Another concerning ingredient in this nail polish is methacrylic acid, which has “moderate non-reproductive organ toxicity concerns,” according to the EWG. I really wish Karma Kids would find a way to make their polish without these ingredients.
Final Verdict
Karma Kids isn’t a perfect nail polish, though it goes a lot further than conventional nail polishes do to avoid the seven most toxic ingredients that you definitely don’t want to expose your children to. It still smells like nail polish (though not as strong as conventional ones do), so you aren’t getting a totally non-toxic feeling experience when you use it.
I would say Karma Kids is a good choice if you want to avoid the main toxins in nail polish for kids but still want something that will last a few days.
Piggy Paint Non-Toxic Nail Polish: The Good, the Bad, and the Pretty
My other go-to non-toxic nail polish for kids is Piggy Paint, which is a popular nail polish paint that comes in a lot of fun, kid friendly colors.
Piggy Paint: The Good
There are a lot of good things to like about Piggy Paint’s “natural as mud” non-toxic nail polish for kids. This nail polish is so non-toxic, it is virtually odor-less. Because Piggy Paint is water-based instead of solvent-based, it’s free of all harsh and toxic chemicals (not just the worst 7, 9, or even 13 chemicals, as some nail polishes like Karma Kids advertise).
You can feel good using it on your kids’ nails, and it’s fun to apply. It goes on easily, and you can peel it off like a sticker when you’re done.
Piggy Paint comes in seriously adorable colors, including Dragon Tears, Tutu Cool, and Mermaid in the Shade. You can get sets of different colors which come with fun nail art stickers or buy them as single bottles.
Applying Piggy Paint is fun for me and my daughter to paint her nails with. I love that it doesn’t stink or make me feel like I’m giving us a side of brain damage while we’re painting our nails.
How to Apply Piggy Paint Nail Polish
For best results, Piggy Paint recommends that you blow dry newly polished nails for one minute with your hair dryer set to warm heat/low setting. They also recommend using the basecoat and topcoat to add shine and scratch resistance. My daughter’s nails will last a couple to a few days with this approach before they begin peeling or chipping off.
Piggy Paint Ingredients
Here are the ingredients in Piggy Paint’s nail polish: water, acrylates copolymer, neem oil. Depending on the shade, they may contain: ultramarines, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, mica, red 28, red 34, red 22, red 7, yellow 10, violet 2, zinc sulfide/copper, chrome green, orange 5.
The Piggy Paint base sealer contains methoxypropanol, which is a low toxicity ingredient, and its polish remover contains Methyl Acetate, Butoxydiglycol, Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, and an embittering agent.
All of these are rated as “low toxicity” by the EWG, so I don’t see them as causes for concern in applying them to my kids’ nails.
Piggy Paint: The Bad
I wouldn’t say Piggy Paint has any truly “bad” qualities, but it does tend to peel and chip pretty quickly. It just doesn’t have those handy toxic chemicals to really cement the nail polish to your kids’ nails!
That said, if you want to have fun manicures at home with your little ones, and you don’t care if they chip or begin peeling off after a few days, Piggy Paint feels worth it to me. Use the base coat/sealer and topcoat and dry with a blow dryer on low for the longest lasting results. Pro tip: Piggy Paint seems to last longer on toenails than fingernails, at least in my experience.
Even if it does peel off, it’s not like your son or daughter needs to keep their nails in perfect condition for their job the next day—I mean, let’s be real about kids’ nail polish needs.
Final Thoughts on Non-Toxic Nail Polishes for Kids
Both Karma Kids and Piggy Paint are decent options for nail polish for kids. Whereas Karma Kids avoids the most toxic chemicals, their kids’ nail polish can’t be called fully non-toxic because it still contains some concerning ingredients that you may not want to expose your kids to very often. That said, if you have an upcoming dance recital or wedding your son or daughter wants to wear some fancy nails to, Karma Kids will last a few days longer than Piggy Paint.
Piggy Paint is the clear winner if avoiding all toxic ingredients is your goal, and if you are planning to do kiddo manicures at home on a frequent basis. You can use it knowing you aren’t exposing your kids or yourself to toxic fumes, and it will be fun while it lasts (even if that’s only for a couple of days).
If you want some more grown-up color options for yourself, check out our guide on the best non-toxic nail polishes for adults.