Nail and spa products can contain potentially harmful chemicals that can affect worker health. Some of these chemicals can be harmful when swallowed, but not when used on the nails, because the nail is a barrier that prevents absorption. The labels of all cosmetics, whether marketed to consumers or salons, must include a warning statement whenever necessary or appropriate to prevent a health hazard that may occur with use of the product. Some of the harmful substances that have been identified in commercial nail products include toluenesulfonamide-formaldehyde resin and methacrylates. Here are some positive and negative aspects of nail and spa products:

Positive:

• Nail products can be used to treat medical problems, such as nail fungus.
• Some nail products contain resins that form a strong coating on the nails, rather than hardening the nails themselves. For example, toluene sulfonamide/formaldehyde resin (TSFR) is used in some nail polishes to make the coating tough and resilient. TSFR also helps the polish adhere to the nail, adds gloss and helps the product flow well when applied.

Negative:

• Nail and spa products can contain potentially harmful chemicals that can affect worker health.
• Some people may become allergic to certain nail product ingredients, such as toluene sulfonamide/formaldehyde resin (TSFR) .
• Nail technicians can be exposed to chemicals in the polish and glue that can pose a real threat to their health.
• Ethyl methacrylate (EMA), the main substance in artificial fingernails, can cause allergies, asthma, and dermatitis.

Ingredients or materials:

• Nail products can contain acetates, phthalates, and methacrylates.
• Artificial nails are composed primarily of acrylic polymers and are made by reacting together acrylic monomers, such as ethyl methacrylate monomer, with acrylic polymers, such as polymethylmethacrylate.
• Some nail products contain toluenesulfonamide-formaldehyde resin and methacrylates.