NAIL BITES

Nail News

Name Game

Bio Sculpture is giving techs the chance to name one of six new shades of indigo and violettoned Evo gel polish. Created to celebrate purple as Pantone Colour of The Year for 2018, Bio Sculpture techs can enter the competition to see a name of their choice printed onto Evo bottles around the world.

To enter, techs must be qualified in Bio Sculpture Gel and Evo systems. They must create an artistic or classic manicure using Evo colours, which should be the main focus of the design, and only Bio Sculpture or Evo products may be used in addition. Entries should be done on actual nails and include a full set, with at least eight clearly visible in the photograph. The competition opened on March 26 and closes on April 23. Full details on how to enter can be found on the Bio Sculpture blog.

CANDY SHOP

Gel polish brand Candy Coat has launched a subscription service for nail professionals. Founded in 2015, the brand works on a pick n’ mix concept, with shades in 15 finishes, including rich glitters, colour change, confetti, marble, holographic and translucent.

The pro boxes for salons and independent techs include six bottles of gel polish along with manicure tools and nail accessories every month.

PLASTIC-FREE GLITTERS

Two new companies have launched naturally biodegradable cosmetic glitters for nails, face and body. Designed to tackle the problem of plastic pollution caused by microplastic glitter, Bioglitter is instead made from a form of plantbased cellulose, which parent company Ronald Britton says naturally decomposes with the help of microorganisms in soil, compost or waste water. There are 15 shades available in six sizes. Meanwhile, Eco Glitter Fun is nontoxic, certified compostable and available in myriad colours and textures.

Fears re-emerge over UV lamps, despite no new evidence

Health concerns reemerged in the press last month over usage of UV lamps in gelpolish manicures, despite a lack of evidence that normal use is linked to skin cancer.

In an article published in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology in March, and publicised in the UK by The Daily Mail, a group of plastic surgeons from the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at University Hospital Galway in Ireland advised the application of broadspectrum sunscreen before a gelpolish manicure due to observational case reports that link UV lamps to skin cancer on the hands.

However, they acknowledged there was a lack of evidence and that the actual risk associated with gelpolish manicures is yet to be established.

When concerns first arose about the link between UV nail lamps and skin cancer in 2012, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, US, assessed the risk and said it would take 250 years of weekly exposure for 10 minutes continuously per session before the lamps would begin to increase the risk of cancer.