Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

College of Engineering and Technology

Department of Chemical Engineering

SURFACE COATING : INDUSTRY OF NAIL POLISH (LACQUER)

I.

Introduction

Definition:
Lacquer is a clear or coloured finish that dries by solvent evaporation. This finish can be of
any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss, and it can be further polished as required. It is
also used for "lacquer paint", which typically is a paint that dries to a more than usually hard and
smooth surface. In terms of the decorative arts, lacquer ware refers to variety of techniques used
to decorate wood, metal or other surfaces, some involving carving into deep coatings of many
layers of lacquer.
NAIL POLISH: A TYPE OF LACQUER
Nail polish is a lacquer that can be applied to the human fingers or toe nails to decorate and
protect the nail plate. Nail polish consists of an organic polymer with various additives.
HISTORY:
In ancient Egypt, women used nail color to signify social order with shades of red at the
top. Queen Nefertiti, the wife of King Akhenaton, colored her fingernails and toenails ruby red;
Cleopatra favored crimson. Women of lower rank who colored their nails were permitted only
pale colors.
The Chinese used a colored lacquer, made from gum arabic, egg whites, gelatin and
beeswax. They used mashed rose, orchid and impatiens petals combined with alum. This mixture
was applied to nails for a few hours, leaves a color ranging from pink to red. In the Chou
Dynasty of 600 BC, Chinese royalty used gold and silver to enhance their nails. A 15th century
Ming manuscript cites red and black as the colors chosen by royalty for previous centuries.
The Incas decorated their fingernails with pictures of eagles, but it is unclear how the
practice of coloring nails progressed following these beginnings. Portraits from the 17th and 18th
centuries include shiny nails.
By the turn of the 19th century, nails were tinted with scented red oils, and polished or
buffed with a chamois cloth, rather than simply polished. English and US 19th century
cookbooks had directions for making nail paints. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, women
pursued a polished, rather than painted, look by massaging tinted powders and creams into their
nails, then buffing them shiny. One such polishing product sold around this time was Graf's
Executive Summary: Surface Coating Industry (part II)

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Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

College of Engineering and Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering

Hyglo nail polish paste. Some women during this period painted their nails with clear, glossy
varnish applied with a camel-hair brush. When automobile paint was created around 1920, it
inspired the introduction of colored nail glosses.
MANUFACTURING COMPANIES OF NAIL POLISH:

BOBBIE NAIL CARE

-Chic Centre Corporation
was established on October
01,
1977
Inc.,
a
Manufacturer and Marketer
of Cosmetic Products and
Market Leader in NAIL CARE PRODUCTS and is an affiliate of JG Summit Holdings."
LOCATED AT Pasig city, Philippines

CARONIA -In 1968, founders of Vibelle

Manufacturing Corporation, Don Vicente Ang
and his wife Belen introduced the first locally produced nail polish brand in the
Philippine market, Caronia. Vibelle Distribution Inc.Unit 2603 88 Corporate Center
Valero cor. Sedeo St. Salcedo VillageMakati City

CARESS NAIL POLISH known for its cheap nail polishes.

Distributedby Kateenson Industries

Executive Summary: Surface Coating Industry (part II)

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Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

College of Engineering and Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering

RAW MATERIALS:

NITROCELLULOSE
From the 1920s, nitrocellulose has been the primary ingredient
of nail polish. It is a film-forming agent that forms a tough, even
coating on the nails, and holds the ingredients together. Derived from
nitrating cellulose, nitrocellulose is highly combustible, and is a
component in dynamite as well as fireworks. It is also the main
ingredient in auto paints, cine film, and varnish. However, the
difference lies in the fact that nitrocellulose in nail polish is of higher
quality.
Nitrocellulose is cellulose nitrate, which is a liquid mixed with microscopic cotton fibers.
These fibers are processed to even smaller particles during the manufacturing process.
Nitrocellulose
is available in
different
viscosity
levels and
are
purchased as
per the

desired
viscosity of the final product. Though a film-forming agent forms a hard coating, it cannot
adhere to the nails properly. So ingredients, like adhesive polymers are also required. Nowadays,
certain brands claim to be free of nitrocellulose.
Nitrocellulose acts as a film forming agent. For nail polish to work properly, a hard film
must form on the exposed surface of the nail, but it cannot form so quickly that it prevents the
material underneath from drying. (Consider commercial puddings or gelatin products that dry or
film on an exposed surface and protect the moist product underneath.) By itself or used with
other functional ingredients, the nitrocellulose film is brittle and adheres poorly to nails.
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Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

College of Engineering and Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering

ADHESIVE POLYMERS(resins):
These are chemicals that ensure adherence of nitrocellulose to the nails. Tosylamide
formaldehyde resin is an example of an adhesive used in nail polish. Though it is a polymer
produced through reaction between toluene sulfonamide and formaldehyde, it is claimed to have
no harmful effects, as the product is different from formaldehyde. It is said that the resin does not
have any properties of formaldehyde. The resins, along with plasticizers protect the nail polish
from dissolving in water and soap solution.
PLASTICIZERS:
Another group of chemicals that are commonly found in nail polish are plasticizers.
These chemicals are meant to make the final product less brittle and flexible. These are
chemicals that link between polymer chains, spacing them to make the film sufficiently flexible
after drying. The most common plasticizers are dibutyl phthalate, castor oil, glycerol, fatty acids,
camphor, and acetic acid. Combination of different chemicals, like amyl and butyl stearate, are
also used for this purpose.
SOLVENTS:
These chemicals are used as a medium in which the
other ingredients are suspended properly. Once applied, the
nail polish spreads evenly and the solvent evaporates.
Solvents found in naAil polish include ethyl acetate, butyl
acetate and isopropyl alcohol. The solvents help the nail
polish to dry faster.
1. Active solvents: True solvents
Eg., esters, ketonesand glycol ethers for
Nitrocellulose.
2.Couplers: Not solvents but in conjugation increase the strength of other solvents.
3.Diluents: Diluents are non-solvents for nitrocellulose . These are used to stabilize viscosity, to
carry resins in solution and to reduce the effect of subsequent applications on the coat of enamel
already applied, to lower the overall cost of the product.
Eg., Aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons and alcohols like Toulene, benzene,
xylene, hexane, heptanes, naphthas, light petroleum ether.

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Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

College of Engineering and Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering

PIGMENTS:
Pigments are chemicals that add color to nail polish.
astonishing variety of chemicals may be used as pigments in
nail polish. Common pigments include iron oxides and other
colorants, such as you would find in paint or varnish.

An

The colouring agents must comply with the terms of Drug and
Cosmetic act , should disperse well , be resistant to light ,
acids and alkali found in detergents , be non-staining and
produce a good gloss.
Dyes:Soluble dyes alone normally cannot impart sufficient depth of colour,abandoned
due to staining the surface & surroundings of the nail. Eg., Eosin, erythrosine, carmosine,
rhodamine
Lakes:Insolublelakes are incorporated to produce suitable shades.
Eg., Colourlakes mentioned in Schedule Q to Drug and Cosmetics Act
rules.
Pigments: Insoluble in lacquers.
Eg., Titanium dioxide,ironoxide,Ultramarineblue, Chrome oxide green.
PEARLS:
Nail polish that has a shimmery or glittery effect may contain pearlescent minerals, such
as titanium dioxide or ground mica. Some polishes may contain bits of plastic glitter or other
additives that produce a special effect.
OTHERS:
Apart from the ingredients mentioned above, nail polish may contain thickening agents,
ultraviolet stabilizers, etc. While thickening agents prevent separation of ingredients and ensures
proper suspension of sparkling particles, ultraviolet stabilizers protect nail polish from losing
color, when exposed to sunlight.
MANUFACTURING PROCESS:
A. PREPARATION OF RAW MATERIAL:

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Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

College of Engineering and Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering

GRINDING
Pigment undergoes the grinding process where in the pigments will be smaller insize,
enable it to dissolve in the process.

B. MIXING

Addition of 75% of the solvent and whole of the diluents in a mixer.

Mixing is done with agitation.
Nitrocellulose is then added with stirrer on.
Solvent ,Plasticizer and Resin is added
Mixing is continued for several hours until solution of ingredient is complete.
Clear lacquer is formed

C. FILTRATION
The clear lacquer is passed through filter press or centrifuged.
D. ADDITION OF PIGMENTS
Pigmented chips or concentrated tinters are added
E. MIXING
It is done produce homogenous solution of colored nail polish.
F. FILLING
The solution is now filled into bottles
G. LABELLING AND PACKAGING
Glass bottles with a brush applicator is the most conventional container which is
used for the packaging of nail lacquers
The capacity varies from 8ml to 18ml.
The applicator consists of an air-tight aluminum canister with an acrylic fiber tip
or nib which applies polish directly to nails.

Executive Summary: Surface Coating Industry (part II)

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Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

College of Engineering and Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering

FIG. 1. Nail polish is made by combining nitrocellulose and plasticizers

with color pigments. The mixing is done in a "two-roll" differential
speed mill, which grinds the pigment between a pair of rollers that are
able to work with increasing speed as the pigment is ground down.

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Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

College of Engineering and Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering

OVERALL COMPOSITION OF NAIL POLISH LACQUER

RECENT ADVANCES
Rehydrating Nail Hardener:
(Miracle Nail)For weak, thin, peeling, and splitting nails.
Free Nail Strengthener:
Contains calcium and coffee extract to help strengthen and protect nautral nails from oxidants;
used for weak, thin, splitting or peeling nails, this product is Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Dibutyl
Phthalate free.
Nail Rebuilder:
(Anti-Aging Nail Rebuilder)For dry, cracked, yellowing and splitting nails
Almond Cuticle Oil with Ginseng Extract:
Moisturizes and softens cuticles while nourishing and protecting them.
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