Acquarella Non-Toxic Nail Polish in Frolic – Swatches and Review

It’s been a while since I’ve posted about nail polish on the blog. Not to worry, it has not gone away. It’s just that I have not had as much time to do my nails this year. But I do have more coming! 🙂 Today’s nail polish is from a brand called Acquarella and they specialize in non-toxic water-based formulas.

I first heard about Acquarella when I was looking up the products at a local spa that carries all natural beauty products. Being the nail polish junky that I am I just had to try them out, and when I saw the colour Frolic my hand just automatically went for it. I mean, LOOK AT IT!!!

Acquarella Non-Toxic Nail Polish Frolic

I don’t usually go over nail polish ingredients, but I will for this one.

Aqua (CAS: 7732-18-5) – Good ol’ water!
Styrene Acrylates Copolymer – A polymer of styrene and a monomer consisting of acrylicacid, methacrylic acid or one of their simple esters.
Acrylates Copolymer – Composed of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid building blocks.

May contain:
CI 77489 (CAS: 1345-25-1) – Iron Oxides – Inorganic chemicals used as colorants (orange). These are synthetic in the US.
CI 77492 (CAS: 51274-00-1) – Iron Oxides – Inorganic chemicals used as colorants (brown). These are synthetic in the US.
Mica (CAS: 12001-26-2) – A naturally occurring group of silicate minerals used as colorants (various colours).
CI 77891 (CAS: 13463-67-7) – Titanium Dioxide – An inorganic compound used as colorant (white) or sunscreen.
and/or CI 77499 – Iron Oxides – Inorganic chemicals used as colorants (black). These are synthetic in the US.

Product contains no hazardous components under current OSHA definitions. European Union: None of the components of this product are listed in Annexes II, III of Directive 2008/42/EC or 76/768/EEC.

This nail polish is so NON toxic that it scores a 1 on EWG’s Skin Deep, how awesome is that?!?


Alright, I have a bit of information to give you about this nail polish because it is different than the traditional formulas that we’re used to. I will link to their site for the bulk of the information as to not make this post TOO long, but I will give you the gist of it.

(1) First off, they recommend you condition your nails for three days before applying their colour. Read the full process here.

(2) You do not need a base coat and top coat (they don’t even make those), only two thin coats of nail polish.

(3) Make sure you only apply two thin coats. Less coats and less material will wear significantly better than 3+ coats.

(4) This nail polish dries differently than traditional formulas and will feel dry to the touch quickly while underneath it is still wet. It’s good to do you nails before bed so you can let the polish cure overnight.

(5) They recommend using their nail polish remover.

Read the full info on this nail polish (under [Making it Work]).

Acquarella Non-Toxic Nail Polish Frolic

Now for my experience. Please note that I did not prepare my nails for three days like they recommend.

As soon as I applied my first stroke I was impressed by the opacity of this nail polish. This kind of shade tends to have a streaky and patchy formula with mainstream brands so I was expecting the same, out of habit. But it is not, it’s almost fully opaque with the first coat. Seriously impressed.

It’s fully opaque with two coats. The finish is nice and shiny on its own, but a wee bit uneven. This is why I would usually wear a top coat (for an even finish), but this brand doesn’t even have a top coat.

I did clean up around my cuticles with acetone and not their nail polish remover. The acetone worked well, but it just took a bit more time than with regular nail polish.

Acquarella Non-Toxic Nail Polish Frolic

I have to say that this nail polish barely smells at all, you really have to sniff the bottle to get any kind of scent. I bought their nail polish remover (travel size) and that smells a lot stronger.

I did my nails on a Friday night. On Saturday I did house work (like I usually do) and I had minor chips on my right hand at the end of the day. My left hand was fine.

Acquarella Non-Toxic Nail Polish Frolic

On Sunday morning I took a bath and after having my hands in the water for a long time the nail polish started peeling off. So I proceeded to scratch the rest of the nail polish off. I usually try to keep my hands out of the water when I have a manicure, but this time I just needed a worry-free time.

So, I did not get to try their nail polish remover.

Acquarella Non-Toxic Nail Polish Frolic

Ok so this nail polish didn’t last that long on me, but don’t forget that I did not follow their steps to prepare my nails. If you wear their nail polish regularly you don’t have to condition your nails every time because they are already prepared.

I absolutely LOVE this colour! I’m really curious to see how long it would last if I did prepare my nails correctly so I may give that a try and give you and update if/when I do it.

This nail polish doesn’t come cheap at $14.95 CAD a bottle. But you do get a non-toxic formula so you pay for clean and healthy.

Have you tried Acquarella before?

– Chantal 🙂

Acquarella Non-Toxic Nail Polish in Frolic