Who doesn’t love a fresh, glossy manicure? It’s enforced time-out – you can’t check emails, you get to relax with a lovely hand massage and leave feeling a bit more put-together. But have you ever thought about what’s inside a nail polish and how they’re formulated?

Most polishes contain formaldehyde (nail hardener), dibutyl phthalate (a plasticizer to make polish flexible), and toluene (paint thinner), alongside lots of other chemicals. While there's limited, credible research to suggest these have any lasting adverse effects, some may not want to put chemicals on their skin. The answer, then, could lie in a vegan manicure.

PURE Spa is one brand banking on this to be the future; its £32 treatment promises to use all cruelty-free products. But with so much information out there (and not all of it factually correct) we spoke to Donna Evans, PURE’s City of London Manager, to find out exactly what a vegan manicure is and why it's preferable, if indeed it is.

The primary difference between a vegan manicure and a ‘normal’ manicure comes down to the types of products used. “The polish remover, nail polish and additional treatments will not have been tested on animals and will not contain any animal by-products,” said Evans.

“Quite often, fish-scales are used in nail polish to create that shimmery effect, whereas PURE’s vegan manicure uses only vegan-friendly, cruelty-free products that don’t compromise on quality.”

Treat Collection (exclusive to PURE Spa) polishes are highly pigmented, deliver excellent coverage and have a strong, flexible formula. They’re also cruelty-free and without the five most potent chemicals found in most nail polishes.

Vegan, gluten-free and certified Halal, Nailberry polishes are free from 12 toxins and come in over 50 shades. Our favourite? Cherry Cherie.

Orly Breathable nail polishes are free from 13 chemicals, come in 53 shades and are blended with Vitamin C, Vitamin B5 and argan oil to help strengthen nails.

BUY: Orly, Breathable Treatment & Colour, £10.84

Vegan and gluten-free, Smith & Cult’s Nail Lacquer comes in 35 shades that are free from eight chemicals and look super swanky on your dressing table.

BUY: Smith & Cult, Gay Ponies Dancing In The Snow Nail Lacquer, £18

“It’s what’s not in the polish that really makes the difference,” Evans said.. “Where nail polishes often contain toxins – formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and camphor – vegan polishes do not.”

If a polish is non-toxic it will be clearly labelled. If the polish is vegan, it won’t have been tested on animals or contain any animal by-products.

Read more: the best plastic-free products for your bathroom

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