A few years back, I did a post on why I use non-toxic nail polish. You can find that post here! As I explained in that post, most nail polishes contain ingredients that are harmful to your health and disrupt your endocrine (or hormonal) systems. For women, this means that the ingredients in most nail polishes can actually cause birth defects and negatively affect fertility.
To help those that want to avoid these harmful ingredients, I made a list of my favorite non-toxic nail polish brands. I also included a short description of my favorite non-toxic nail salons in Washington D.C. and New York. Well, now that I live in Paris, I wanted to share a post on my favorite French non-toxic nail polish brands! As I continue to discover new French brands and find nail salons, I will update this post. As such, below is a list of the French non-toxic nail polish brands that I have tried thus far.
P.S. The French word for nail polish is “vernis ongles.”
9 Free and 10 Free Nail Polish Brands
Boho Cosmetics
Purchase at: Monoprix (in store only), Boho Cosmetics, Birchbox France
All of Boho nail polishes are either 9 free or 10 free. They also happen to be vegan. This was the first nail polish I purchased when I moved to Paris. The color I wear is called “Amour” and it is a reddish pink.
All of the polishes are vegan. Their 9 free polishes are free of the following ingredients: toluene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), resin of formaldehyde, paraben, xylene, camphre, styrene et benzophenone -1. And, their10 free polishes are free of all of the above ingredients and one additional one – colophane.
Each is priced at 6€
All Tigers
Purchase at: Birchbox France and All Tigers
I received this nail polish in my Birchbox France Clean Beauty Box. All Tigers is best known for their lipsticks, but they recently started making nail polishes. Their polishes are 9 free, vegan, and made of 82% plant-derived or natural ingredients.
The brand is free of the following ingredients: formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, benzophenone, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), styrene, xylene, etocrylene, and octocrylene.
Each is priced at 12.80€
Kure Bazaar
Purchase at: Kure Bazaar and Oh My Cream
I discovered this brand while looking around my new favorite store for all “clean” skincare and beauty products – Oh My Cream. Their formula is 10 free, 90% bio-sourced, and enriched with bamboo extracts and Vitamin E. The color you will spot me wearing is “Vinyle.”
The brand is free of the following ingredients: toluene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, synthetic camphor, TPHP, paraben, xylene, styrene, benzophenone-1, -3 nano color.
Each is priced at 16€
Manucurist
Purchase at: Manucurist, Sephora France, or Blissim
Their formula is nail polish is 9-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and contains up to 84% natural ingredients. Their top coat is also the best nail polish top coat that I have ever tried; it acts almost like a gel polish. Your nail color will last for a week (sometimes two) without chipping or fading. They also have a line of 12 free gel nail polish called “Green Flash.” Although I have never tried it, according to their website, the line has been formulated with no endocrine disruptors or allergenic molecules.
The brand is free of the following ingredients: toluene, dibutyl phthalate, camphor, xylene, formaldehyde, hydroquinones, ethyl tosylamide, triphenylphosphate, benzophenones, styrenics, and monomers.
Non-Toxic Nail Salons
Kure Bazaar in Le Bon Marche
I really liked the manicure I received here. However, the location is only set up to do one pedicure at a time and it is quite small. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a quick manicure at a reasonable price, you will definitely want to try them out.
Free Persephone
This is my favorite nail salon in Paris. It is owned by an American woman. As such, it is set up like many of the non-toxic nail salons I frequented in New York and D.C. They have a good variety of both French and American nail brands. You can also have tea and a snack there if you want to wind down with your girlfriends after your manicure. And, as an added bonus, all the staff members speak English too.
Why Make the Switch to Clean Beauty
To understand why you should consider making the switch to clean beauty, take a look at this post.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin