Since the advent of the digital age, the nail care market has expanded rapidly in recent years, with the rise of social media driving demand for nail care services and products. Additionally, the popularity of nail art has a great influence on social media influencers and celebrity endorsements. According to a report by Transparency Market Research, the nail care market is projected to reach US$23.6 billion by 2034, driven by the growth of nail colour and nail treatments (Transparency Market Research, n.d.). In this context, customers are increasingly experimenting with more complex finishes, colours, textures, and designs, pushing the boundaries of creativity in nail art.

However, despite the growing diversity and innovation in nail art, nail products are not an invention in recent years. In earlier decades, traditional nail products often contained toxic ingredients and released irritating smells due to their chemical composition, such as nail polishes, removers and glue. These products prioritised performance and durability over safety, leading to the widespread use of harmful substances like toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which can pose health risks to users and have negative environmental impacts. These hazardous chemicals not only pose risks to consumers but have also raised significant concerns in recent decades about the health of nail salon workers, who face excessive exposure to known toxicants in nail polish formulations. The high levels of exposure that nail salon employees face at work also cause endocrine disruption, increase the risk of cancer, and damage the reproductive and developmental systems (Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, 2020).