Ongoing Clinical Research

Abstract

Water permeable claims exist for nail polish, however, certifications provided on websites pose issues. Some do not specify the used methods; others are expired or only reflect testing of a few shades of a product line. The UToledo Cosmetic Science research group tested three water permeable nail polishes in vitro and did not find strong evidence for water permeability of the tested nail polish films. This project is a direct continuation of that work, now in vivo. The goal of this study is to use a non-invasive device, nano Tewameter, that can measure the water loss (TOWL) via the human nail plate and determine whether nail polishes that claim to be water permeable are indeed water permeable. To date, only a few studies have measured TOWL using a Tewameter—none of them focused on water permeable nail polishes.This study is on-going, with preliminary results supporting the hypothesis and disproving permeability of water permeable nail polish on human nails.

The same three water permeable nail polishes that were tested before are now tested in an IRB-approved in vivo consumer study. First, baseline TOWL is measured followed by painting participants’ nails, and getting a second TOWL reading. After performing wudu, TOWL is measured again and compared to the previous values. Regular nail polish is used as control.

This project helps to set a precedent of consumer awareness, as the results will likely have a real-world impact on the purchasing decisions among female Muslim consumers. It also has the potential to broadly encourage consumers to more carefully scrutinize the claims of beauty and wellness products they see on store shelves.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Baki for her support and guidance throughout the entire research process, to the research participants for dedicating their time to support the study, and to my family for their support in all my pursuits.