So how do these breathable polishes pull off a trick like that? 'The breathability is not a function of a single ingredient rather, it depends on how the entire formula is put together,' Schueller says, though he notes that ingredients like bis (glycidoxyphenyl) propane/bisaminomethylnorbornane, which appear in some breathable formulas, are not typically used in nail polish and may play a role in this unique molecular structure.īut does regular polish really put your nail health on the line? The idea of giving your nails time to breathe between polish sessions is something you hear on occasion (you've probably received a lecture on it from your manicurist), but there might not be much science to support it. 'Traditional polish has fewer interstitial spaces for water to pass through,' explains cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller. But the molecules that make up water- and air-permeable formulas feature a more staggered structure-like a bricklaying pattern-that allows teeny water and air molecules to slip through the spaces. See, traditional nail polish is made up of very neat, tight molecular bonds, like straight lines stacked directly on top of each other. Breathable polish, on the other hand, is designed to allow molecules of water-and their good buddy oxygen-to slip through the polish and down to the nail, thereby supposedly improving the health of your nail and nail bed. The idea is that polish creates an impermeable layer that keeps nails from getting the water and oxygen they need to stay healthy (more on all that in a minute).

At some point in our lives we've all been told by a manicurist, coworker, or our mom that wearing polish all the time will make your nails brittle and prone to breakage.

Lyn breathable nail polish