If the last 10 years have seen us becoming increasingly obsessed with skincare, the next decade might well be the point when we become equally zealous about our nail health. Historically, nail treatments have been limited to a few ancillary products more likely to be bought as an afterthought post-mani/pedi rather than sought out in their own right. Now, though, the market is shifting, with an increasing number of nail care launches destined to revolutionise our approach to our fingers and toes.
The best of these harness the power of skin- and haircare ingredients we’re already familiar with. Take Nails Inc’s Retinol 45 Second Quick Drying Top Coat, which uses retinol to strengthen nails, or its Vit C Please Cuticle Oil, ideal for brightening. Then there’s OPI’s Repair Mode Bond Building Nail Serum, which relies on bond building technology more commonly found in bestselling hair products to repair nail damage. Brands have clearly been doing their homework on the wellness landscape, too. Orly’s Protein Formula may sound like something you would drink after a workout, but is, in fact, a paint-on formula that contains healing plant keratin and amino acids.
More zeitgeisty beauty trends are being translated to the nail space, too. If Hailey Bieber made glazed doughnut skin a trend at the start of 2022, glazed doughnut nails had become wildly popular by the summer. This year’s answer to the latter? Ditch harsh gel varnish and swipe on a slick of Manucurist’s Active Glow, a “treatment polish” whose sweet almond oil and raspberry extract nourish nails and impart a rosy shine. Throw a bottle in your purse, and you’re good to go. Or should that be glow?
