There are three major types of ingredients in most nail polishes;
1) organic solvents and drying agents
2) thickeners and hardening agents
3) coloring and "effects" agents
The most common organic solvents and drying agents are ethyl acetate (also used as nail polish remover), butyl acetate, formaldehyde and isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol).
The thickeners and hardening agents are nitrocellulose (also known as gun cotton which is used in explosives and gun powders), several different acrylate copolymers and/or polyester/polyurethane copolymers. These hardening agents are basically types of plastics that are soluble in organic solvents like ethyl acetate. When the organic solvents evaporate, the plastics deposit as a thin coating on the surface of the nails.
The coloring agents are materials like D&C red #7 and #34. Mica and aluminum powder (sometimes bismuth oxychloride) are used for the pearlescent/glitter type of nail polish.
Of course there are numerous variations in formulation between different brands and products, but the same basic types of ingredients are used by most cosmetic producers.
Taken from: www.madsci.org
No comments:
Post a Comment