What happens when you apply your favourite nail polish? We explain it all in this article.
At Manucurist, we love transparency: we believe cosmetics should not be opaque. With this in mind, we share our ingredient blacklist on our Philosophy page. It allows us to explain what we use instead of these controversial ingredients and their role in the formula.
But that is not always enough to understand how nail polish works. What is the difference between a classic Green nail polish and a gel polish? And what about Green remover? This article will help you see things more clearly!
Key takeaway:
- A classic nail polish dries through solvent evaporation; a gel polish hardens through polymerisation under a UV/LED lamp.
- Green™ nail polish is made up of bio-based solvents, nitrocellulose (a film-forming agent), resins, plasticisers and pigments.
- Green Flash™ adds co-polymers that react to UV light to form a solid polymer network.
- Remover works by turning solid polish back into a liquid state so it can be removed.
Classic Green nail polish: a story of evaporation
First, let’s look at what a Green nail polish is made of.
🌱 Solvents
Solvents make up the largest part of a nail polish: they create a homogeneous, liquid formula. In Manucurist nail polishes, these solvents are butyl acetate and ethyl acetate; they are both bio-based (to find out more about bio-based ingredients, see our dedicated article).
✨ Nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose is what is known as a film-forming agent: it creates a smooth, glossy film that dries quickly.
💅 Resins
Classic Green nail polishes may also contain resins that enable the adhesion of this film to the nail.
💪 Plasticisers
Plasticisers make the nitrocellulose film elastic, which improves wear time: the polish does not crack and is therefore less likely to chip.
🎨 Pigments and bentonite
Pigments and pearlescent pigments (marked CI followed by 5 digits) provide colour and shimmer.
Finally, bentonite is used to make the formula more fluid: it is what is known as a thixotropic agent.
When you apply a classic nail polish, it is in liquid form. Once on the nail, the solvents evaporate, creating a coloured, solid and glossy film.
Green Flash gel polish and light
The formula of gel polishes is very similar to that of classic nail polishes. However, it is a little more technical because the drying mechanism differs from that of Green nail polishes.
Green Flash nail polishes also contain co-polymers: these molecules react with UV light emitted by the lamp and bond together, forming a polymer network that hardens the gel layer.
Result: after this chemical reaction, a fully solidified layer of polish is obtained; the formula is said to catalyse or polymerise. Combined with solvent evaporation, this reaction enables quick drying.
To find out more about Green Flash and its formula, discover our article Green Flash: what makes it different?
And how does remover work?
The principle of remover is to turn a solid layer of polish into a liquid state so it can be removed more easily.
In the Green remover, diethyl succinate enables this liquefaction of the polish.
In the Green Flash remover, the solvents used are those at the base of the polish formula: butyl acetate and ethyl acetate.
In short:
- Classic nail polish dries through solvent evaporation, without any device.
- Green Flash™ gel polish dries through the polymerisation of co-polymers under a UV/LED lamp, which is why it offers enhanced wear time.
- Remover liquefies solid polish to remove it: Green™ Remover uses diethyl succinate, while Green Flash™ Remover relies on the formula’s base solvents (butyl acetate and ethyl acetate).
Questions? Send us a DM on Instagram: the Manucurist team will be happy to help.
