What does 3, 5, 7, 10 Free actually means in beauty?

Nowadays, it is easy to see 3 Free written on nail polish and other beauty products, or even 5 Free, 7 free or 10 Free. But what does this all mean?

The terms 3 free, 5 free, 7 free, 9 free, and 10 free are often being thrown around in the beauty world… but is this something we should look into? Or is it just another marketing tactics used? 

To tell you the truth, all these labelings on the bottles are actually marketing terms. There is no government or community organization that regulates the use of these terms. It is nothing more than brands and companies trying to use these terms that work best to advocate their branding and message. Yes, you read it correctly; and as the matter of fact, no brands actually go through any testing or registration to be able to use the terms 3 free, 7 free or 10 free nail polishes.

Then why is it important to know what does the "__" Free terms really meant? 

In today's blog, we would like to keep you informed and in a position to make the firm educated decision for the rest of your lives; after all, it is the beauty product that you are wearing on your skin almost every single day.

3-Free. Does it means buy 3 and get one free?

The answer is, no... but that's what we heard the most when it comes to 3-Free questions. 

The word "Free" means free of toxic ingredients. So the bigger the number in front of the word, free, the less toxic chemical it is in the product you purchase. 

In the present nail polish distributors, you can actually find some pretty toxic ingredients including DBP, toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and camphor. 

Why not pause for a minute and check your nail polish and beauty collections to see how much free toxic ingredients do they have.  

If you had a choice, we encourage you to stay away from putting these ingredients on your skin and we explain why below.

10-Free Nail Polish avoids these ingredients along with xylene, parabens, fragrances, phthalates, and animal ingredients. 

But what's up with these big words? What is DPB,  Formaldehyde, Toluene...etc?

A quick guide to ingredients to avoid in nail polish:

DPB - actually known as dibutyl phthalate. It is one of the many ingredients to contain phthalates. These are the ingredients that should definitely be avoided. In both Europe and the United States, phthalates are listed as a suspected endocrine disruptor, as there is evidence that it interferes with normal hormone function. So it can affect fertility, and can cause developmental defects in unborn children. Not to stop there it can also cause health issues such as liver and kidney failure in young children. AVOID!!!! 

Toluene - present in paints, varnishes, glues and many, many nail polishes. It can cause irritation to our eyes, nose, and throats. It is not an ingredient you want to be around. 

Formaldehyde - often used as a germicide, fungicide, disinfectant, and preservative. Research has suggested its properties are carcinogenic (having the potential to cause cancer). We'd rather not go there. 

Camphor - this acts as a plasticizer. In very small doses, camphor can cause reactions such as accelerated heartbeat, skin vasodilation (flushed skin - we often get this with alcohol), slowed breathing, and increased perspiration.

Parabens - they are a preservative and suspected to have carcinogenic properties. 

An easy guide as to what ingredients are avoided

3-Free polish does not contain dibutyl phthalate, toluene or formaldehyde.

5-Free polish does not contain dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin or camphor.

7-Free polish does not contain dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, parabens or xylene.

10-Free polish does not contain formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, camphor, formaldehyde resin, xylene and don’t contain parabens, fragrances, phthalates, and animal ingredients.

NIJI as your 10-Free Nail Polish provider 

The reality of the ever-increasing ‘free’ list, is that it is never-ending. It is important to choose a polish that is free from these nasties- as there are definite links to health side effects that your body is much better off avoiding. 

As 10-free nail polishes being the most natural base in the beauty industry, we at NiJi guarantee in seeking to upgrade our product to be better and better as newer natural ingredients base becomes available in the future.

All of our NiJi Nail Lacquers are 10 Free and focuses on creating an ethical and sustainable product with just the important ingredients without compromise on performance. With NiJi, you can be sure that you are getting the most natural product always.

So check out our lifestyle and product lines, you will be amazed by how broad the color range could you grasp in your hand. 

NIJI, Show Off Your Colors.