When I started working in beauty publishing, there was definitely concern that polishes contained formaldehyde, but beyond that, the other ingredients seemed fine. Well, not so, and now more and more polish companies (as well as haircare and skincare) have had to reformulate their products to become what has become known as "three-free"—free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, and DBP (phthalate) (this is specific to nail polishes).
Well, butter LONDON, a self-proclaimed leader in non-toxic and high fashion nail care products, recently partnered with BrandHabit, a website that helps consumers track down boutiques carrying their favourite designers and must-have-items, to launch the Turn in Your Toxins campaign. This initiative was introduced at butter LONDON stores, high-end fashion boutiques and established wholesale spa and boutique accounts across North America.
During the campaign period, butter LONDON invited customers to “turn in their toxins” at participating butter LONDON stores and fashion boutiques across the United States and Canada. Each customer who brought three of their nail polishes containing the toxic chemicals Formaldehyde, Toluene, and DBP (phthalate) received one bottle of any “3 Free” nail lacquer by butter LONDON – for FREE!.
This is a fabulous initiative, but what really got me to gasp was the image that accompanied the press release. Tons of polishes in company-specific bottles—that could really piss off a bunch of polish manufacturers that may not want their dirty laundry aired.

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