What Does 3, 5, 7, 10 FREE Actually Means In Beauty?

You may have come across terms like 3-Free, 5-Free or 7-Free when shopping. Knowing a brand is 5-free, 7-free or even 10-free is nice, but what does this all mean?

Free is a term used in the beauty community that means a product is free of a certain amount of toxic chemical ingredients. Here’s what being 3/5/7/10 Free really means:

3 Free 

This means that the nail polish is free of what is known as the Toxic Trio, which are Dibutyl Phthalate, Formaldehyde, and Toluene. So, what are these ingredients and why are they used in the first place?

Toluene helps polish go on smoothly. Inhaling products containing toluene causes light-headedness, nausea and even unconsciousness. It's also linked to developmental damage for pregnant women.

Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) prevents your polish from chipping and cracking. It's been designated a reproductive and developmental toxin.

Formaldehyde makes polish tough and resistant. It's also directly linked to nasal sinus cancer and the development of leukemia.

5 Free

5 Free removes the toxic three but also tosses out formaldehyde resin and camphor. 

Formaldehyde resin is derived from formaldehyde and is a suspected environmental and human toxicant.

Camphor can build to toxic levels in the body and can potentially cause seizures.

7 Free

Products that are labeled with 7 free means that they are also free of ethyl tosylamide and xylene. 

Ethyl Tosylamide increases the durability of nail polish products and helps in increasing adhesion of the polish to the nail surface. It is a sulfur-based antibiotic and is banned in Europe for use in cosmetics since it can cause mild to severe allergic reactions.

Xylene is irritating to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. It can cause systemic toxicity by ingestion or inhalation.

10 Free

10-free now adds to the list of toxic ingredients phthalates, fragrances, and animal ingredients. 10-Free is the least toxic and it’s currently the highest level you can get. Using certified 10 Free products is obviously the better choice. 

Rossi Glam Powder is 10 free, we do not use Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor, Ethyl Tosylamide, Xylene, parabens, animal by products and fragrance. You will never find any of these chemicals in the dip powder you you buy from Rossi Nails. We love high standards and care about our clients health. With Rossi Nails all you need to worry about is which colours you’re going to wear on your next manicure!