Beauty Without Cruelty were one of my go-to brands when I lived in the UK. Their products were pretty much the only make-up available at my local vegan grocery store (shout out to the amazing Unicorn Grocery!), and back when I wore foundation and the like, BWC had me covered, literally.
Our Rating: 2 / 5 (See: How Leaf Score is calculated)
Table of Contents
Product Highlights
- Polishes are free of toluene, phthalates, and formaldehyde
- Appear to be free of almost everything else on the 10-free list
- Company been 100% vegetarian and mostly vegan, with no animal-testing or animal ingredients
| Country of Origin: | England |
| Ingredients: | Sample: Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Trimethyl Pentadiol Diisobutyrate, Isopropyl Alcohol, and Violet 2. Some Colors: Triphenyl Phosphate, Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Trimethyl Pentadiol Diisobutyrate, Triphenyl Phosphate, Butyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Red 34 Lake, Titanium Dioxide. |
| Certifications: | Cruelty Free Vegan Society |
Overview
So, I’d love to give BWC my seal of approval for eco-friendly, non-toxic nail polish… but I can’t. Their nail polish (View Price on Amazon) is certainly better than most on the market in terms of toxicity, but they’re just not as good as Honeybee Gardens and others.
BWC’s Attitude Nail Colors are available in 10 mL bottles for around $18 and are free of toluene, phthalates, and formaldehyde. They also appear to be free of almost everything else on the 10-free list, and a sample ingredients list for one color shows the following: Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Trimethyl Pentadiol Diisobutyrate, Isopropyl Alcohol, and Violet 2.
However, some colors still contain triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), which is one to definitely avoid. For example, the Attitude Geranium nail polish contains the following: Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Trimethyl Pentadiol Diisobutyrate, Triphenyl Phosphate, Butyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Red 34 Lake, Titanium Dioxide.
Beauty Without Cruelty was founded more than 50 years ago in England by trustees of an animal welfare organization, the BWC Charitable Trust, including Lady Dowding. They have consistently been 100% vegetarian and mostly vegan, with no animal-testing or animal ingredients, and have been a big name, sometimes the only name, in vegan-friendly cosmetics and toiletries in the UK. The company branched out to the US in 1989 and have grown in popularity thanks to quality products and good ethics.
My advice, scrutinize the labels carefully for BWC nail polish. If you see TPHP, find that color elsewhere. Or, go for Honeybee Gardens instead (View Price on Walmart).