Ask the NMC

QUESTION:
Is formaldehyde an ingredient used in cosmetic products?

ANSWER:

No, formaldehyde is a dry gas that cannot be added as a cosmetic ingredient. In fact, no product sold in the professional nail industry uses formaldehyde as a cosmetic ingredient. The name "formaldehyde" was incorrectly given to an ingredient that should have been named methylene glycol. The error wasn’t considered important until chronic exposure to relatively high concentrations of formaldehyde was found to possibly cause a rare nasal cancer in humans. As a result, it was incorrectly assumed that the "formaldehyde" listed on cosmetic product labels was the same as the gas, but in fact they are very different. Formaldehyde and methylene glycol come from completely different chemical families. Formaldehyde is a gas, and methylene glycol, used in nail hardeners, is a liquid. Tiny trace levels of formaldehyde can be found in nail hardeners at less than 0.003% and in certain cosmetics such as hair and skin creams at less than 0.0002%. Formaldehyde at these trace contaminant levels does not pose a substantive risk to human health.

The NMC continues to work toward correcting this error and clearing up the confusion. As of 2010, manufacturers can now use the correct name, methylene glycol, and formaldehyde should begin todisappear from ingredient labeling.

It should be noted, however, that people who have long considered themselves to be allergic to formaldehyde are, in fact, allergic to methylene glycol and should avoid it. During the nomenclature transition, methylene glycol products will carry a formaldehyde warning to assist these customers.

QUESTION:
heard that Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) can’t be used because it’s toxic. If that’s true, why is it on the market?

ANSWER:

Toxicity is not the reason MMA shouldn't be used to make artificial nail enhancements. Surgeons frequently use MMA as bone implant cement, and it's used to make everything from bullet-proof windows to dentures. MMA shouldn’t be removed from the market because it has many legitimate uses.

However, MMA doesn’t belong on nails. Artificial nails made with MMA are more prone to damage because this product exhibits poor adhesion. As a result, nail technicians must excessively thin the nail plate by filing with a coarse abrasive to prevent enhancement lifting. If the nail is jammed or hit, the thinned nail plate will more likely break rather than the overly strong MMA enhancement. Additionally, the removal of MMA enhancements is a difficult and time consuming process that often leads to excessively damaged nail plates.

The United States Food and Drug Administration spoke out against the use of MMA in artificial nails. Although many state boards have prohibited the use of MMA, some unscrupulous organizations still plague the nail industry by selling it to nail professionals, who often purchase the products to save money.

Nail professionals should always understand and adhere to their state board regulations, including those that prohibit the use of MMA. Further, you should make sure that you are not using MMA in the salon. For more information on MMA, see the NMC informational brochure "NMC Update: Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) Liquid Monomers" found at probeauty.org/nmc, which is available in English, Spanish, Korean and Vietnamese.

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