Any Nail Polish Pros here? - Chemists Corner

Formulating

Any Nail Polish Pros here?

Posted by hishine1 on October 3, 2014 at 10:28 pm

Hiya, looking for some basic nail laquer info. Products im looking at (on the market) are used mainly for industry I gather, they dont have ingredient lists other than Acetone, Resins, Pigments.

I need a simple ingredient list for a pigmented hi gloss, quick dry (60 secs) laquer, big ask I know so any pointers appreciated.

nasrins replied 9 years, 7 months ago 6 Members · 14 Replies
14 Replies

hishine1

Member
October 3, 2014 at 11:11 pm

Editing to add…

I need a THIN (low viscosity) ultra gloss, super fast drying top coat (clear) and same that can hold a pigment (black).

So many conflicting ingredients I am searching… any directions would be helpful. Thanks
Chemist77

Member
October 3, 2014 at 11:23 pm

International Lacquers/Fiabila/Durlin and so on
hishine1

Member
October 3, 2014 at 11:41 pm

ah brilliant. Thanks milliachemist!
Bobzchemist

Member
October 4, 2014 at 3:21 pm

You can buy base and add pigments…what are you trying to do?

Have you searched for formulas? Looked at patents?
nasrins

Member
October 8, 2014 at 6:11 am

the base without pigment consists of ethyl acetate,nitrocellulose,butyl acetate, polyester resin, isopropyl alcohol, dibutyl phthalate. We buy the base and then add pigment.
Bobzchemist

Member
October 8, 2014 at 8:51 am

Having tried this myself for a client, I can also tell you that it is extremely difficult and time-consuming (for regulatory/Homeland Security issues) to buy plain nitrocellulose. (Which is, for those who don’t know, not just flammable, but also explosive, to the point that it usually can’t be shipped by air.)

For a number of reasons, you will be much better off buying a pre-formulated base and topcoat and repackaging them, even if you add an ingredient or two beforehand - not to mention the explosion-proof facility and equipment you will need to buy in order to make nail polish safely.
OldPerry

Member
October 8, 2014 at 1:31 pm

@Bobzchemist - thus the reason there aren’t many companies different who make this stuff.
Bill_Toge

Member
October 9, 2014 at 3:16 am

can’t speak for US suppliers, but European industrial grades of nitrocellulose (e.g. Walsroder from Dow Wolff) are not classified as explosives as their degree of nitration is low and they’re supplied pre-wetted with solvent in sealed containers, so they’re easier to transport

however, even with these precautions in place it is still EXTREMELY flammable, and will ignite at the slightest provocation - warmth, static discharges, mechanical shock - making it the most dangeous material likely to be encountered in cosmetics manufacturing

the fact that once it’s on fire, the fire is self-sustaining and very difficult to put out does not help either!

(I used to work in a paints and coatings factory years ago, and remember that the wood varnishes, containg nitrocellulose, were made and filled in a separate, easily cordoned-off building since it was such a huge fire risk)
Bobzchemist

Member
October 9, 2014 at 10:50 am

If I were doing this project for myself or a client, depending on the volume required, I would either buy pre-filled bottles and package them separately, or buy pre-made products and have them filled and packaged separately. The OSHA, insurance, and federal/state environmental regs around setting up even a small-scale filling operation are so strict that the ROI is very bad. Better to contract all of it out and focus on marketing/sales.
hishine1

Member
October 10, 2014 at 7:52 pm

HI, back again! Ok, so I have a tin of stuff here… acetone, resin, pigment are the only listed ingredients. It is water thin and black. I’m guessing it is some sort of wood stain essentially but used on nails (as in fingernails!) I would like to make something similar/economical but a little more nail friendly. This product goes on with a brush and dries in about 30 seconds leaving a hard and extremely glossy film.

Would this be similar to your base Nasrins?

I dont think I would need the Nitrocellulose?
Chemist77

Member
October 10, 2014 at 11:27 pm

I doubt if it is a complete ingredient list, with a resin I am sure a plasticizer would be needed too as acetone is definitely going to render the film brittle. With pigments there has to be a suspending agent as well e.g. some kind of bentone or some other agent, how else you are going to avoid synerisis in the polish. Pigments and pearls are definitely going to be pulled down by gravity and as per my understanding those 3 cant really do all the jobs at the same time.

That is purely my understanding about polishes and I hope someone senior can chip in with a better understanding if mine is off the mark.
nasrins

Member
October 11, 2014 at 1:59 am

@milliachemist here dibutyl phthalate is plasticizer…it is also fragrance in formula. resins are binders and avoid other ingredinets from sedimentation.

@hishne1 it dries almost in 1 minute and it isnt very glossy…
Chemist77

Member
October 11, 2014 at 2:13 am

@nasrins thanks for the enlightenment though I spoke about the list mentioned by @hishine1 and not YOU.

FYI not all resins have a yield value to prevent sedimentation/synerisis, until and unless you are using shockingly high quantity just to prevent this and forgetting other vitals.

cheers
nasrins

Member
October 11, 2014 at 2:32 am

ok then define with whom u r talking…