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nails: advances in polish


future-proof polish


back in the day


Since the 17th century, it has been socially acceptable in western culture for women to manicure and care for their nails, but when it comes to colour wemust delve further into history.


It is thought that nail painting originates back to fivemillennia to 3000BC China. Early wearers favoured preciousmetallic shades of gold and silver symbolising wealth and power, evolving to red and black, particularly favoured by the Zhou Dynasty who lived around 600BC. It is thought that early paints were a combination of egg whites, beeswax, gelatin and GumArabic, coloured with vegetable dyes created fromflower petals.


The fashion for wearing coloured nails as an indication of power spread across the ancient civilisations of India, northern Africa and theMiddle East. Even in the early days, there was a certain amount of snobbery surrounding the different hues of nail colour worn; high ranking ancient Egyptians preferred reds, likely due to the great cost of producing a highly pigmented colour fromHenna extract, whilst the lower order wore low pigment pale colours. Reports tell of Queen Nefertiti wearing ruby red nails whilst Cleopatra opted for a rust red.


After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th centuries, European access to the precious ingredients used to create nail paints was restricted. It was not until new trade connections withAfrica and the Middle East were established in the 17th century that European society began painting their nails.


The preference of a ‘polished’ nail look came to the fore in the 19th and 20th centuries, where in the United States, Italy, France and the UK, oils were buffed into the nails.


The first nail polish is said to have been created by Cutux in 1917, as a refined version of automobile paint, and was used to cover unsightly grimy nails. By the early 20th century,manicure parlours began opening in France, establishing themselves as commonplace in the 1920s and ‘30s with the fashion amongst flappers being the trend of painting just the central area of the nail plate, leaving the cuticle and tip colour free – known as theMoonManicure.


The first commercial polish is said to have been invented by the Charles Revson Company – known today as Revlon - founded by Charles Revson, his brother Martin Revson and chemist Charles Lachman.They worked with Frenchmake- up artistMichelleMenard, who created a lacquer fromnitrocellulose, used in the automotive industry, dissolved in solvent to create a protective coloured layer than sat on top of the nail plate, rather than staining it as previous nail paints had done.


They discovered that if they bottled the product in sealed glass containers the solvents would not evaporate, and in 1932 theymarketed their first nail varnish in department stores. Hollywood was to promote nail varnish to themasses, as the development of full colourmovies showcased the polished red nails of glamorousmovie stars.


Through the years of thrift and rationing that followed in the 1930s and ’40s, nail polish, paired withmatching red lipstick, provided an affordable way of women expressing their femininity and style – much like the austere times of today.


polish today


Today’s polishes, lacquers or varnishes offer amore refined formulation, taking into account nail and skin health as well as respiratory concerns. Basic components include agents that forma filmover the nail plate, adhesive polymers, plasticisers that link polymer chainsmaking the lacquer flexible after drying, solvents and colouring agents.Most recent additions include pigments and glitter particles, such asMica and natural pearl. Glitter particles are suspended in the formulations by thickening agents. Ultra-violet stabilisers ensure that the pigments resist colour change when exposed to sunlight.


In recent years, the leading lacquer brands havemade conscious efforts to remove chemicals fromtheir formulations that have been linked to cancers, foetal development concerns and respiratory issues,mainly Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP),Toluene and Formaldehyde (you’ll see thismarketed as 3-Free).The European Union banned companies fromusing DBP in 2005. Some brands also formulate their lacquers free fromFormaldehyde Resin and Camphor, marketed as 5-Free.


Modern lacquers also offer enhanced nail care solutions.Through an understanding that lacquer will adhere longer to healthier nails, today it’s not just about colour but care, with added hydrators and strengtheners. Plus, with consumers making purchases aligned with themoral consciousness, brands are also embracing vegan and cruelty-free formulations.


retail


In line withMintels’ conclusions that the nail cosmeticsmarket is placing itself at the fore of the UK cosmetics sector as a whole, this is the time tomaximise lacquer retailing in your salon.


According to the research, nail polish is used by 59%of women in the UK – that means thatmore than half of your clients are in themarket to purchase lacquer.As their nail expert you are perfectly placed to offer themthe right advice over which lacquers will care for their nails, which will offer themlongevity of wear and which are themust-wear shades of the season.


Take a look to see the brands at the top of their game when it comes to nail lacquer in 2014…


138 GUILD NEWS


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