The Côte Room — Eliminate Toxins From Your Mani With Five-Free Nail Polish Line Côte

It’s scary to think about some of the toxins lurking inside many widely available nail polishes, most notably: formaldehyde, the very substance morticians used to embalm corpses, which is a known human carcinogen; toluene, which is listed in California’s Proposition 45 as being toxic and linked to birth defects, cancer, and infertility; dibutyl phtalate (DBP), a plasticizer and solvent used for dyes that, when absorbed through the skin, could disrupt endocrine activity and enhance other chemicals’ ability to morph into mutagens, potentially leading to everything from liver and kidney failure to infertility. Why are these chemicals still being used in nail polish formulations? Well, because polish manufacturers claim that these substances are being used in such small quantities that they couldn’t possibly cause any long-term damage. There’s no conclusive research just yet about how much exposure could prove perilous but, given that these are known toxins, why would we risk any potential health problems? Nowadays, given the abundance of toxin-free nail lacquer options, there’s no need to take any chances in the name of a pretty manicure.

Now, you’ve publicly heard the terms “3-free,” and “5-free,” but what do they mean? Well, 3-free nail lacquers are formulated without three of the scariest chemicals, the substances I mentioned before: formaldehyde, DBP, and toluene. Five-free nail lacquers go a step further by also removing another two insidious ingredients: formaldehyde resin, which is a known allergen, and camphor, which can purportedly cause seizures when used in large quantities. While 3-free nail lacquers have become fairly common as costumers have grown more discerning about the ingredients in their beauty products, the amount of  luxurious, top-notch, and trendy 5-free nail lacquers is still relatively small, with brands like Zoya, SpaRitual, Ginger + Liz, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, and Deborah Lippmann developing healthier polish options. Another brand that green polish hounds need to discover: Los-Angeles based company Côte.

All Côte nail polishes ($18 each at Coteshop.co) are packaged in luxurious Italian glass bottles with minimalist, clean, elegant labels in a moody gray shade bearing the brand name and specific shade number in a simple white font. In addition to a protective top coat, strengthening base coat, and matte top coat, the brand carries 109 hand-poured nail lacquer shades in a variety of finishes: metallic, creamy, pearlized, sheer, glittery, and shimmery.

I recently had the opportunity to try some Côte nail lacquers, and I was really because the colors were bold and edgy but also felt posh. Below, check out the four shades I tested out:

This electric cobalt blue nail lacquer reminds me of Sonic the Hedgehog (with whom my son is obsessed!), perhaps because it’s so richly pigmented that it feels like it belongs in a hypnotic video game universe. As you can see from the photos above, the color has a shimmery finish, with scattered turquoise micro pearls giving the polish some dimension.

This shimmery nail lacquer also makes a striking statement — it actually reminds me of one of the jelly beans you’d find in Candy Crush! The base color is a cherry lollipop red but it’s so saturated with fuchsia shimmer that the color seems to morph from pink to red and back again, like the colors of the sky during a fascinating sunset.

This is probably my favorite out of the four shades I tried because it has the elegance we associate with jewel-toned lacquers, but there’s an intriguing element to the shade, an enticing mysteriousness. It reminds me of the darker stripes in a malachite crystal, but the blue undertones take it into near-teal territory. The emerald green shimmer, meanwhile, makes the color all the more spellbinding. When I look at the color, it makes me think of the ominous forest in Maleficent — a hue worthy of a fairy tale universe.

This shade is also incredibly unique in that it’s a light lavender shade, but it has a lot of gray undertones that take it into near-neutral territory. The iridescent magenta shimmer, meanwhile, adds a playfulness to the shade so that it doesn’t feel somber or severe. What I love about this shade is that it’s understated enough to be office-appropriate but distinctive and playful enough to make it date-worthy. Something about this shade makes me think of a winged fairy in a fantasy art piece.

Well, gals, I hope you check out this ultra-cool nail polish brand! Given that Earth Day is right around the corner, there’s no better time than the present to make your beauty routine greener — all the way down to your fingertips!

Visit CoteShop.co for more info and to check out all the shade offerings!