Is Your Nail Salon Safe?

Acrylic is one of the most popular products that salons use to put on top of a woman’s nails today. This product caps the natural nail and creates length and strength. However, what a lot of women do not realize is that – NOT ALL ACRYLIC IS SAFE.

Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) is a chemical used in acrylic liquid monomer. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that MMA is a poisonous and deleterious substance when used in cosmetic fingernail preparations. MMA complaints range from severe allergic reaction to permanent loss of sensation in the fingertips and even permanent loss of the nail plate. While it is the strength and the price of the acrylic that attracts some users to the product, it is not appropriate or safe for use on soft nail tissue.

Why would salons want to use this product? Because it is inexpensive. Salons may purchase this from manufactures for $20.00 to $40.00 a gallon. Most of it is obtained from outside the country, so they do not have to comply with FDA restrictions. A reputable salon will use a name brand product and will usually pay $150.00 - $200.00 a gallon.

How to know if a salon is using acrylic with MMA:

  1. Low pricing for acrylic services.

  2. Acrylic difficult or impossible to remove with acetone polish remover or acrylic nail solvents.

  3. Technicians often wear masks to prevent inhalation of the powerful, distinct odor.

  4. Technician is secretive of the products they are using on you.

What to look for when choosing a salon:

  1. Make sure your technician is licensed. A photo license is required by the state for any technician working on the public. This license is required to be displayed in plain view for the public.

  2. Make sure your technician understands you. You should be able to communicate your needs and concerns to your technicians.

  3. Make sure the salon shows you the container where the acrylic came from. This container should say "NO MMA". Hopefully they are honest enough to also be using that same product at the table of each technician.

  4. Make sure the salon is clean and all implements used on you are soaked in a disinfectant solution.

Any findings of wrong doings may be reported to the Division of Consumer Affairs, NJ Department of Law and Public Safety, Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, Newark, NJ 07101. Also, if you would like the state to include the testing of acrylic products in their inspections, write and tell them so.

Should you continue to get you nails done? Yes, but one needs to make sure the salon they are using is a reputable salon like Nail Looks.

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