Assembly Line

How nail polish is made

Nail polish is mostly solvent. As it evaporates, it leaves behind a thin hard film of plastic.

stations
6
things upstream
41
raw sources
17
steps from the ground
6

The short version

Nail polish is a solution of a film-forming polymer, usually nitrocellulose, in a fast-evaporating solvent, with resins, a plasticizer and pigment. Cotton or wood cellulose is treated with acids to make the nitrocellulose. The polymer is dissolved, the color is ground in, and the thick liquid is filled into small glass bottles with a steel ball inside.

  1. Nitrate the cellulose

    Cotton or wood-pulp cellulose is nitrated in a bath of nitric and sulfuric acids, washed carefully and kept wet, since the dry material burns very easily.

    Goes in
    Raw cottonWood pulpNitric acidSulfuric acid

  2. Dissolve the polymer

    Nitrocellulose is stirred into solvents such as ethyl or butyl acetate until it forms a clear, thick lacquer.

  3. Add resin and plasticizer

    A resin helps the film stick to the nail, and a plasticizer keeps it flexible. Without them the coat would crack and flake off.

    Goes in
    Plasticizer

  4. Grind in the color

    Pigment is dispersed into some of the lacquer in a mill until it is smooth. Titanium dioxide gives white and pastel shades their opacity.

    Goes in
    Titanium dioxidePigment

  5. Match the shade

    The colored base is combined with the clear lacquer in tanks. A technician compares a painted sample against the master, adjusting until the shades match.

  6. Fill the bottles

    Glass bottles are filled, a small mixing ball is dropped in, and a brush cap is screwed on tight so the solvent cannot escape.

    Goes in
    Glass bottle
End of the lineNail polish

Worth repeating

  • Ming dynasty nail polish was made from a mixture that included beeswax, egg whites, gelatin, vegetable dyes and gum arabic.
  • Gel nail polish uses an acrylate copolymer that is cured under light, not nitrocellulose.

Back to the ground

Follow every input upstream and nail polish starts as these 17 raw sources.

Raw cottonTimberWaterAirSulfurTitanium oreIron oreSilica sandLimestoneRock saltNatural gasCrude oilCoalTronaCornSugarcaneSugar beet

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Sources

Cite this page: "How nail polish is made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/nail-polish

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