A non-polar coating used to decorate fingernails and toenails. Its composed of several different chemicals that give it strength, flexibility, and resistance to chipping and peeling.
WHAT IS IT MADE OF?
1. First, solvents are used to mix together all the ingredients in a nail polish to yield a uniform liquid product.
a. The type and amount of solvent determines how thick a polish is and how long it takes to dry
b. Most Common solvent- ethyl acetate.
c. Ill talk more about what the solvent does in a few slides.
d. See pic
2. Another ingredient are resins- a polymer material that holds the polish together, they are resistant to soap and water.
a. There are two types: film forming and adhesive resins.
i. Nail polish contains the film forming resins-chemicals that form to the smooth surface on a coat of nail polish ii. The most common is nitrocellulose-which I will talk about on the next slide
3. Plasticizers: Chemicals that help keep the polish flexible while also producing a brittle coating. They reduce the chance of cracking and chipping.
a. They work by linking to polymer chains and increasing the distances between the chains.
b. Common example-camphor –as you can see in this picture- its just a carbon ring with 3 methyl groups and an oxygen (ketone)
4. Pigments are chemicals that add color.
a. There are a large variety of chemicals that are used as pigments in nail polish.
b. For example, Iron Oxides are used to produce the color red. Many of the pigments used in nail polish are the same as those in paint.
c. Most colors require a mixture of several different pigments
5. Pearls-are not in all nail polishes. When they are present, these pearlescent minerals give nail polish a shimmery or glittery effect
a. Example is ground mica-shiny silicate material with a layered structure
6. Thickening Agents keep other ingredients from separating and make nail polish easier to apply. An Example is Stearalkonium Hectorite
a. Like pearlescent