I’m so hooked on my cruelty-free and non-toxic butterLondon nail polish that I take it with me when I get my pedicures done. I love, LOVE a good pedicure but I hate the nail salon polish choices. They are not cruelty-free, and they are not at all non-toxic. As a cruelty-free advocate, it’s pretty frustrating to see because there are many wonderful cruelty-free nail polish companies.
Most cruelty-free polish is also toxin-free in varying degrees, either 5, 7 or 9-Free, this is important! We absorb toxins from not only what we put in our bodies but what we put on our bodies as well. For those of us that paint our nails regularity the health of our nails can suffer if we aren’t careful of the products we use. Add to that, when your little one asks for you to paint their nails, I’m sure you’ll agree that the less toxic the polish is, the better. Yes, I love butterLondon polishes and there are many other fabulous brands available. I’ve compiled my list of the 12 best nail polish brands for kids or adults that will satisfy your need for beautiful, healthy nails as well as for the little nail goddess in your life.
What does 5,7 or 9 free mean? I’ll lay it out for you for reference.
5-Free (The Big 5): No DBP, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, or Camphor
7-Free: Sulfate-free, butylparaben-free, formaldehyde donor-free, formaldehyde-free, nonylphenol ethoxylate free, propylparaben-free, phthalate-free
9-Free: Toluene-free, formaldehyde-free, DBP-free, formaldehyde resin-free, camphor-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, propylparaben-free, butylparaben-free, formaldehyde donor-free, nonylphenol ethoxylate free
From lowest to the highest price points:
Table of Contents
Piggy Paint
Perfect colours and safe for your tiny fashionista! These are incredibly cute polish sets that are packaged brilliantly in little gifts sets or individually. The colours are bright in pinks, purples, blues and reds.
Piggy Paint is a water-based, odourless nail polish so a great pick for kids, pregnant women or anyone wanting to avoid the chemical smell of regular nail polishes.
Paint can be purchased individually or in a cute set like the ones below. They also have cute little pedi sets that any little princess can use while getting her tootsies done. So cute!
7 Free
Available at Target. For the Canadians out there you’ll be happy to know that Target has Canadian Shipping.
- All prices in Canadian dollars
- Duties and taxes calculated at checkout
- Low international shipping rates
- Guaranteed landed costs (no additional charges at delivery)
>>>>>Shop Piggy Paint Polish at Target here<<<<<<
Orly Breathable Treatment + Colour Nail Polish
Do you deal with dry, damaged Nails? Do you turn to nail “hardeners” to keep your nails from breaking splitting or peeling? Does it just keep on happening? I feel your frustration, and in my experience, hardeners may make the situation worse instead of better. Your nails need nourishment and need to breathe. Give your nails the moisture they need, and you’ll likely notice a difference right away.
Orly Breathable comes in 32 colour variations and is 9-Free! Nourish, repair and strengthen your nails while giving them a gorgeous colour with this Breathable Treatment + Color Nail Polish from ORLY. The all-in-one formula is a colourful way to breathe life back into your nails while giving them a beautiful look. Simply apply a single coat of this nail polish to help strengthen damaged nails.
>>>>>Shop ORLY Breathable at Target here<<<<<
Pacifica
Pacifica has added to its line of cruelty-free cosmetics with their line of vegan nail polish. Twelve colours to choose from plus a cleat top/base coat. When I think Pacifica polish I think iridescent because they do it WELL. They even have an iridescent top coat that adds a silvery, shimmery finish to your main polish colour.
7 Free
>>>>Shop Pacifica at Target here<<<<<
ella + mila
Ella+mila have a whopping 20 colours that range from so, so subtle to metallic and sparkle. The colours are divided into “collections” and price points. All are sold individually, or there are a few sets of two available. E+M also has an acetone free, vitamin enriched, soy-based remover scented with lavender essential oil. The formulations glide on smoothly and are easy to apply.
7-Free
>>>>>shop ella + mila at Target here<<<<<<
Defy and Inspire
Defy and Inspire is a wear resistant and high shine collection. Twenty-five colours to choose from with names like Bridezilla, Frenemy, Bachelor Nation and Ladies Who Lunch. With shades from Pale Pink to a deep, dark, almost black gray there is something for everyone in this line. For the holidays there are gifts sets of 12 at an incredible price point!
A little hint for finding your shade on the Target site. Click the link below, and in the second row you will see a range of colours underneath Defy and Inspire Nail Polish (no colour name); click, and on the upper right you’ll be able to make your colour choices.
5-Free to 9-Free depending on the polish
>>>>>Shop Defy and Inspire at Target here<<<<<
Gabriel Nail Polish
Gabriel Polish is 10-Free folks! In keeping with Gabriel Skin Care and Cosmetic standards, all polishes are vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free and non-toxic. The price point of the polishes is super starting at $8.50 and the colour collection spans over 50 shades including the core collection and seasonal polishes.
10-Free
>>>>>Shop all Gabriel Colours here<<<<<
SOPHI
SOPHI is the upscale, more adult nail polish by the folks at Piggy Paint. It’s a water based and odourless formulation that ensures nails stay hydrated and healthy with a smooth, glossy finish that really lasts. A range of 19 beautiful colours can take you from day to night. The Prime + Shine + Seal System is perfect for at home manicures to give serious staying power. Worth checking out!
>>>>>Shop SOPHI at Target here<<<<<<
Nail and Bone
I first learned of this polish when I received it in one of my subscription boxes, which are AWESOME by the way. The one I got was pink, and I found it easy to use (for the manicure challenged me), and I liked the finish. The colours are not plentiful on Love Goodly as they come and go but I do like that proceeds from the sale go to dog charities.
Nail and Bone, developed in collaboration with Kaley Cuoco and the beautiful red you see is named Ruby, after Kaley’s rescue doggie, a teeny, tiny shaggy terrier mix. 20% of the proceeds are donated to Paw Works, a nonprofit that partners with Los Angeles shelters to place animals in foster and adoptive homes. How sweet is that?
8-Free
>>>>>Shop Nail and Bone at Love Goodly here<<<<<
FABY
Another Love Goodly brand. A professional grade vegan nail system that gives you great nails, every time! Vegan, Cruelty-Free, nail system is designed to provide you with long-lasting, high-shine results. Not a huge colour selection but these are wowza! Purchases from Love Goodly helps to support Farm Sanctuary.
8-Free
>>>>>Shop FABY at Love Goodly here<<<<<
LVX
The thing I like best about Love Goodly is that they search out manufacturers and only put products they love in their boxes and available for individual purchase on their site. LVX is the third nail polish they carry; it’s their high-end line. LVX is an ultra-rich and creamy nail polish with a smooth finish and high shine. Its superior long-wear formula allows you to sport beautiful nail colours without smearing or chipping. LVX is TPHP free and Gluten Free. 18 shades with strengthener and top coats.
7-Free
>>>>>Shop LVX at Love Goodly here<<<<<
butterLONDON
butterLONDON is my personal favourite. Click here for my full review. I’m seriously challenged when it comes to doing my own nails, but I can do it well with these polishes. Honestly, I don’t know if it’s the brush or the formulation, but they work for me easy peasy!
8-Free
Here’s a rundown of all the nail products they have:
If you need nail treatments they’ve got Cuticle Exfoliator, Nail Rescue Base-coat to fortify your nails, Tinted Nail Moisturizer polish (a game changer for me), Quick Dry Conditioning Drops, Lacquer Remover Wipes and Patent-Ge Top & Tails Set (alternative to gel manicures with regular polish).
Polishes:
Patent Shine 10X nail Lacquer; a creamy, opaque nail polish that features our Patent Shine 10X formula with good-for-you 8 Free ingredients proven to promote brighter, stronger, healthier nails. The patented Shock Resisting Polymer Technology delivers a gel-like cushion and long-lasting shine for a polished-looking manicure with up to 10 days of wear.
Trend Nail Lacquers; Peel Off Glitter, Glazen Lacquer with a bit of shimmer, Creme Nail Lacquer. Doily Overcoat (for the look of patterned lace), metallic and shimmer formulations.
PureCure Manicure System: For me, this took a bit of practice, but with the help of the LED light the results are a gel type manicure with easy, peel-off, non-damaging removal. This product is a rock star as far as I’m concerned. If I can do anyone can do it!
>>>>>Shop all butterLONDON Nail Products here<<<<<<<
Deborah Lippman
Celebs love Deborah Lippmann polishes. They come in a variety of colours and styles and are vegan. Allure Best of Beauty award-winning polish can be purchased individually, or gift packages are available as well. I love the Cuticle lab Intensive Treatment Therapy Set for a gift (shown in photo). This is a very popular, high-end line.
7 Free
No need for toxins
There you go dear readers, nothing but cruelty-free and non-toxic nail polish and treatments. The best part is, it doesn’t cost a fortune to buy a polish that’s kind to our furry friends as well as safe for our little ones and us. I hope you find something you’ll enjoy. As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment.
Sydney
Hi Sydney, thanks for this amazing review of non-toxic polishes! Other blogs include Zoya as well, since it claims to be 10-free. Do you agree? Thanks!
Hi Maria,
Great question! Yes, Zoya is a recommended brand by many. It is 10-free and cruelty-free so it’s worth giving it a try. At the time of writing, I wasn’t 100% sure if they were selling in Mainland China. If you aren’t aware, products sold in China are government mandated animal-tested so I exclude them from any of my lists. Since the blog post was written they have confirmed that they do not sell anywhere that animal testing is a requirement so Zoya would be most welcome on my list of polishes!
Thank you for bringing it forward!
Sydney
I see! I didn’t know about animal-testing for products sold in China – that’s so interesting! Thanks for your reply Sydney and Happy holidays!
You’re most welcome. There’s lots of info about animal testing on my earlier blog posts if you’re interested in knowing the ins and outs of it all.
Merry Christmas to you and Happy 2019.
Hi Sydney,
Thank you for all the info on the different company’s concerned with providing non-toxic polish. I have a question about the term non-toxic. Does this mean that the polish is not considered cancer causing? Because these are “polish” they would still have chemicals in them, correct? (maybe that goes without saying) I have not been using polish due to the concern with cancer and someone gave me Defy and Inspire for a gift and said it was “safe” to use. I would appreciate your comments regarding my concerns. Thank you!
Hi Paula, great question!
For me personally the chemicals that I’m afraid of are Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP, Toluene, Camphor, Ethyl Tosylamide, Xylene and TPHP. You will find many of the brands exclude those or some of those ingredients. I’ve honestly never researched the rest of the ingredients for being “safe” to use and it will vary from one brand to the next. I personally feel that if the above 8 are missing than I’m good to go. I would encourage you to start with polish that is free of as many toxins as possible and then have a look at the rest of their ingredients. I’d love to know if you find that these still contain carcinogens.
Thanks for your question and I hope that helps!
Sydney