hypoallergenic imaginative play Kids makeup motherhood mums nail polish natural natural children's makeup No Nasties non-toxic play makeup

The World's Cleanest Kids Nail Polish: What Is Really In the Bottle

By Natalia Michael January 23, 2024

The World's Cleanest Kids Nail Polish

Growing up with sensitive skin, eczema, and a list of allergies as long as my arm was a challenge at times. Kids parties were especially tricky, particularly when face painting was on offer, which had roughly a fifty fifty chance of turning my skin into a lumpy, swollen, hot, and very itchy mess.

As every parent knows, kids do not want to miss out. I certainly did not. But my mum also did not want me landing in hospital, wearing little gloves to stop the scratching, with my skin red raw.

No Nasties Kids was created with kids exactly like me in mind.

Allergy Safe Makeup and Nail Products

With no gluten, dairy, or nuts in our makeup products, allergy prone kids can safely join in with dress ups and imaginative play. We also take the extra step of actively checking that none of our fragrances are wheat derived.

I am often asked about natural ingredients and allergies, and the truth is that many natural ingredients can cause severe allergic reactions, sometimes far more severe than synthetic ones. For certain allergies, natural is not always best, and when asked about this I try to always answer honestly, drawing on my own experience, years of research, and now raising my own children.

My approach to the allergy question is simple. We work with the most natural ingredients possible, while avoiding chemicals that act as hormone disruptors or carcinogens. We stay mindful of the total toxic load and try to balance that against being as natural as possible.

Why Truly Natural Nail Polish Does Not Exist

Take our No Nasties Kids Nail Polish as an example. We searched the entire globe for a genuinely natural nail polish, and the truth is, an effective one simply does not exist.

We once purchased a brand from overseas marketed as edible. What arrived looked like every little bottle was filled with spoiled banana and broccoli, and we are still out of pocket thousands of dollars on that shipment. It was a lovely idea in theory, but the formula was clearly unstable, and nobody wants to brush spoiled fruit onto their hands. It was also coloured using synthetic dyes such as Red Lake, which we did not want anywhere near our range.

The bottom line is that no formula we have found to date is genuinely natural and also effective at painting on and staying on the nail bed for any length of time. If a nail polish requires nail polish remover, it cannot be truly natural. It requires adhesive polymers to bond to the nail bed.

Adhesive, or glue, polymers such as plastic, PVC, and acrylic. Does that sound non toxic to you?

And yet, search for natural polish online and you will find countless brands claiming to be natural and non toxic, while still requiring nail polish remover. Strange, right?

Are Those Brands Bad? Not Necessarily

Are they bad? No. They are simply what they are. I love wearing polish myself. I actually wear gel nails, and for over three years I did not paint my nails at all. Life is a journey, and painted nails happen to be something I personally enjoy, at least for now.

Would I put nail polish full of chemicals on my own children, requiring more chemicals in the form of nail polish remover to take it off, knowing everything I know now? No, I would not.

That is simply my own take on the balance of things for my family.

What Makes Our Nail Polish Different

Our nail polish is not marketed as all natural. It is made with the fewest possible ingredients, coloured with simple mica rather than synthetic Red Lake dyes, and needs no nail polish remover at all. It does not last long, at least not yet. We are still working on cracking the balance between as natural as possible and total toxic load.

It does not smell strongly, it scratches off easily, and it will likely wash or scratch away before the day is even done. It is For Play, Not Stay, a bit of fun without the toxic load.