Handbook of Solvents - George Wypych - ChemTech - Ventech!

882 George Wypych
rected towards improvements in drying properties and adhesion to the nails. These
properties are partially influenced by solvent selection. The current trend is to greater use of
ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, naphtha, and isopropanol which are preferable combinations to
the solvents listed above.
Acetone used to be the sole component of many nail polish removers. It is still in use
but there is a current effort to eliminate the use of ketones in nail polish removers. The combinations
used most frequently are isopropanol/ethyl acetate and ethyl acetate/isopropanol/
1,3-butanediol.
General cleaners used in hairdressing salons contain isopropanol and ethanol. Hair
spray contains ethanol and propellants which are mixtures of ethane, propane, isobutane,
and butane. The reported study 2 of chemical exposure in hairdresser salons found that although
there were high concentrations of ethanol the detected levels were still below the
NIOSH limit. The concentrations were substantially higher in non-ventilated salons (about
3 times higher) than those measured in well ventilated salons. Small concentrations of toluene
were found as well, probably coming from dye components.
Recent patents 7,8 show that solvents may enter cosmetic products from other ingredients,
such as components of powders and thickening agents. Some solvents such as
dichloromethane and benzene, even though they are present is smaller quantities are reason
for concern.
REFERENCES
1 B P Whim, P G Johnson, Directory of Solvents, Blackie Academic & Professional, London, 1996.
2 B E Hollund, B E Moen, Ann. Occup. Hyg., 42 (4), 277-281 (1998).
3 M F Sojka, US Patent 5,374,674, Dow Corning Corporation. 1994.
4 M Nimni, US Patent 5,487,776, 1996.
5 F L Martin, US Patent 5,662,891, Almell Ltd., 1997.
6 S J Sirdesai, G Schaeffer, US Patent 5,785,958, OPI Products, Inc., 1998.
7 R S Rebre, C Collete, T. Guertin, US Patent 5,563,218, Elf Atochem S. A., 1996.
8 A Bresciani, US Patent 5,342,911, 3V Inc., 1994.