How to properly treat the fluorescent agent in nail products.

In this article, we are going to explain in detail about fluorescents and hopefully help all nail art lovers to dispel their worries

First of all, we have three questions to answer

1: What exactly is fluorescent agent?

Fluorescent agent, also known as fluorescent whitening agent, is a fluorescent dye, or white dye, and a complex organic compound. It absorbs ultraviolet light and emits blue-violet fluorescence, which is neutralized with the yellow light produced by the object absorbing ultraviolet light, making the painted object look white and achieving the purpose of whitening.

2: Is fluorescent agent harmful to health?

• Fluorescents are not irritating to the skin: After years of animal and human experiments, even fluorescent whitening products that come into direct contact with the skin are not irritating to the skin and do not cause skin allergies. And through daily washing actions, such as hand washing and bathing, it can be easily washed off completely and will not be absorbed into the skin.

• No adverse effects on wound healing: The article "Toxicological properties of fluorescent brighteners" published in the German Journal of Dermatology in 1994 pointed out that even if the use of textile materials containing fluorescent brighteners in direct contact with wounds, there will be no adverse effects on wound healing, and no pathological changes to human skin.

• Metabolism: Fluorescent whitening agents are water-soluble and can be excreted quickly and completely through normal metabolism.

  The book "Environmental Quality and Safety Supplement Volume IV 'Fluorescent Whitening Agents'" published by Georg Thieme, Germany, shows that fluorescent whitening agents can be excreted in mice through metabolic studies. Metabolic studies have shown that the vast majority of fluorescent whitening agents are rapidly excreted through the intestine and are not absorbed by the intestine after heavy feeding of CBS. There is no residual fluorescent whitening agent in their blood, liver, and muscle. Therefore, even if a small amount of fluorescent whitening agent CBS enters the body, it will be excreted quickly through normal metabolism.

• Fluorescent brightener CBS is not carcinogenic: The European Union Detergent Association (A.I.S.E.) has shown that fluorescent brightener CBS (also called FWA-5) is not carcinogenic.

The toxicity of fluorescent brighteners is of the same level as that of salt used daily, and the lethal amount of both is very close, which means that, like salt, it is only life-threatening to ingest more than 50g at a time.

Moreover, fluorescent whitening agents are widely present in the items we use every day. For example: most white plastic products, white candles, white tablecloths, plastic storage boxes and A4 paper.

In the nail polish industry, fluorescent brighteners are also commonly used in top coats. And the top coat is often used on color gel and hardener that have already cured and are unlikely to be absorbed, unless you eat it.

3: What is the role of fluorescent agent in the top coat?

Why is fluorescent agent added inside the top coat? First of all, the top coat is mixed by a variety of raw materials, they can't be all transparent and colorless, so the top coat will generally become yellow under the sun.

The blue-violet fluorescence emitted by a small amount of fluorescent agent can neutralize the yellow light emitted by the top coat itself and achieve a balance, so that the top coat will not turn yellow.

However, when a top coat containing fluorescents is applied to the surface of a dark color or black nail polish, it will turn blue under the sunlight. For this problem, we recommend using a crystal clear top coat that does not contain fluorescent brighteners.

As you can see in the picture, the top part of the nail is painted with a crystal clear top coat, and under UV light, the white color turns yellow and the black color remains unchanged. And the top coat with fluorescent whitening agent has no change in the white color under the UV light, and the black color will turn blue.

Therefore, the summary is that fluorescent whitening agent is not a dangerous ingredient, it is important to choose the top coat with or without fluorescent whitening agent according to the color you apply to your nails.