There are two main types of artificial nails that are built up on the natural nail: UV gel nails and Liquid & Powder (L&P) acrylic nails. Both are classified as cosmetic products under UK and EU regulations and are subject to the same strict safety laws as all other cosmetic products sold in retail outlets or used in professional salons.
UV gel nails
UV gel nails are formed using a thick gel that is cured under a UV or UV LED lamp. The gel usually contains a blend of short-chain urethane polymers, methacrylate monomers such as HEMA (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) or hydroxypropyl methacrylate, and a photoinitiator that reacts to UV light to start the hardening process. The gel is carefully sculpted onto the nail to form the desired shape, then exposed to UV light, which triggers polymerisation. The result is a hard and durable artificial nail.
Understanding allergy
Almost any substance, natural or man-made, has the potential to produce an allergic reaction in someone. As with some foods, you may not know you are sensitive to a cosmetic ingredient until you try out a product and have an adverse reaction.
Substances known to cause widespread allergic reactions are not used in cosmetics but, because our bodies all behave differently, we might find we are allergic to substances in our cosmetics and toiletries. It is important to always check the ingredients list of the cosmetic product you intend to buy or use to make sure it does not contain any ingredients to which you are allergic.
Avoiding allergic reactions to gel nails
Acrylate monomers are used because they are essential building blocks of UV gel and L&P nail systems. The starting materials which are mixed together and painted onto the natural nail need to chemically react together to create the long-lasting, smooth finish of an acrylic nail. In a small number of cases, the unreacted monomer starting material can produce an allergic reaction if it comes into contact with the skin. This is not the case with the properly cured polymer.
To stay safe, it is important that the product does not come into contact with the skin and a suitable lamp, as advised by the manufacturer, is used to fully cure gel nails. Also, never use nail products or equipment labelled as ‘professional-use only’ at home.
What should I do if I have an allergic reaction?
While many reactions turn out to be irritant reactions, if you are experiencing symptoms always contact a medical professional for advice. It is really important that you also contact the manufacturer of your product (careline or helpline numbers are provided on the pack and further contact details will be available on their websites) so that they are aware that someone has experienced a reaction to their product. By law, companies must record and monitor unwanted reactions to their products and in some cases they need to report these to the authorities, so they need to hear about reactions. For further information about what to do if you experience an unwanted reaction to a product, please see our advice guide here.
Read more:
- Nail Products
- Allergy Advice
- How Cosmetics are Regulated
- Chartered Trading Standards Institute Cost of Beauty campaign, raising awareness of the importance of not using 'professional use only' products at home.
