Plant-based nail polish is coming to a drugstore near you

I was a child (and young adult) with a bad nail-biting habit, so I learned through many literal slaps on the wrist how toxic nail polish can be. It’s a bummer to learn that your go-to vial of polish could have traces of formaldehyde. In the new year, however, Sally Hansen will release a plant-based vegan non-toxic nail polish collection called Good.Kind.Pure.

Here’s why I mega-love that. Finding a good non-toxic nail polish is so hard these days, let alone one that you can pick up at CVS or Walgreens on your lunch break. Not to mention Sally Hansen has been a reliable mainstay in the beauty industry. Creating a 30 shade collection of rich and clean beauty products is a major recognition of shifting trends. Consumers really want good-for-you (and good-for-your-nails) makeup, and big brands taking that initiative shows the times are a’changing.

So what makes this particular plant-based nail polish different? It has a 16-free formula that cuts out classic toxic ingredients such as formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, parabens, and sulfate. Not even sure why sulfate would be lurking in a polish bottle to begin with (we mostly recognize the ingredient as an irritator in shampoos and skincare products), but there it is.

The other intriguing aspect is that the nail polish isn’t the only thing that’s plant based. Each Good.Kind.Pure. bottle comes with a natural plant brush, which shows real commitment to a theme. Perhaps more importantly, this natural brush is optimized with the polish to deliver a better, more even application.

And because nail polish colors are superficially the Thing That Delights Me The Most, the 30 colors draw from earthy monikers. “Golden Quartz” is all rose-gold shimmer in a bottle, “Coconut Milk” is a delicious sheer, and “Elderflower Power,” well, I’m just very emotionally attached to that name because of I love St. Germain. Oh, and obviously there’s a top coat so you can keep your whole mani clean. Anyway…

Sally Hansen’s Good.Kind.Pure. collection hit drug stores and mass retailers as early as January 2020, but is available now at Target.com. Feel free to browse through your favorite colors in the meantime, but a heads up: this doesn’t give you carte blanche, nail biters. “Plant-based,” “vegan,” and “natural” in the make-up world do not mean edible.

Feeling nostalgic? We’re all excited about the magic of mood-changing nail polish. And no matter what you use, this ice cube hack should get your nails dry in three minutes flat.