With our CEO & Licensed Nail Technician, Dasha Minina.

Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring gas. It is NOT a liquid or a solid substance, therefore, it physically cannot be added to nail polish as an ingredient.  Chemically, a gas cannot be added as an ingredient because it would escape the product.

We naturally exhale Formaldehyde while breathing and our bodies produce it regularly as it is used to build proteins.

Tosylamide/Formaldehyde Resin is a major ingredient used in nail polish.  This Resin is a mixture of different substances and can include small traces of Formaldehyde residuals, but in levels well below those found in nature.

Traces of up to 0.0098% Formaldehyde are even found in organically grown fruits, similar to the levels found when the Resin is used in nail products.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel concluded in December 2011 that formaldehyde and methylene glycol are safe for use in cosmetics when formulated to ensure use at the minimal effective concentration, but in no case should formalin concentration exceed 0.2% by weight.* (via FDA, link below)

Formaldehyde does not absorb through the skin nor nails.  It is only an inhalation hazard when exposed to high concentrations over long periods of time.

http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm127068.htm#forma