Early humans used paint for aesthetic purposes such as body decoration.
Cosmetics
Nail polish
History Thousands of years ago, the Chinese used a colored lacquer, made from gum arabic, egg whites, gelatin, beeswax and plants. Egyptions used henna to color their nails.
1920’s
Most nail polishes are made of nitrocellulose dissolved in a solvent and either left clear or colored with various pigments.
Basic components: - Film forming agents - Coloring agents ( pigments) - Solvents - Resins and plasticizers - Adhesive polymers (e.g. tosylamide-formaldehyde)
Natural pigment
Most pigments used in manufacturing and the visual arts are dry colorants, usually ground into a fine powder.
This powder is added to a vehicle (or binder), a relatively neutral or colorless material that suspends the pigment and gives the paint its adhesion.
Pure pigment allows very little white light to escape, producing a highly saturated color.
A small quantity of pigment mixed with a lot of white binder, however, will appear desaturated and pale, due to the high quantity of escaping white light.
 All colors and pigments must be FDA approved.
Quick drying-----Low boiling point solvent ( Isopropanol) Growth Enhancing----- Strengthening fibers and proteins Long lasting----- Plasticizers
 Harmful components: -Formaldehyde (preservative) -Toluene (byproduct found in gasoline) -Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a chemical used to keep nail polish from chipping, has been connected to cancer in lab animals as well as long-term fertility issues in newborns.
 http://www.naturalnews.com/020031.html#ixzz1Jzm70H5i
Edible nail polish? Organic or Non-‐toxic?
Eco-friendly nail polish A recent development (ca. 2003) is water-based nail polish, which is based on an acrylic polymer emulsion (e.g. styrene-acrylate copolymer), and pigments similar to those used in watercolor paints. - - - -
Odor free No more solvent-based nail enamel Don’t last as long Lacks complete coverage
Nail Polish Art
Artwork by Eileen Hicky