Nailboo is a popular cosmetics brand that claims its customers can get “salon quality nails” from the comfort of their home. Using Nailboo is much cheaper than getting nails done professionally.
But does Nailboo contain any ingredients that may be toxic or unhealthy? Is it easy to use? How do real Nailboo users rate and describe the experience and look? And which retailer sells this brand for the best price?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Nailboo to give our take on whether or not the brand is likely to improve nail quality, and whether or not it's healthy.
We’ll also feature real Nailboo customer reviews, document which retailer currently sells the brand for the best price, and share a video showing how to use Nailboo correctly.
Is Nailboo Unhealthy?
The ingredients in Nailboo Dip Powder are shown above.
There are a number of artificial colors that may have negative health effects.
Black 2, also known as carbon black, has been clinically shown to be associated with increased lung cancer risk, although most of the studies on this compound involve workers exposed to the chemical.
Yellow 6 is contaminated with a carcinogen (a compound that causes cancer) called benzidine according to a medical review published in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health.
Blue 1 was analyzed in a medical review published in the Advances in Nutrition journal, and the study authors concluded that this ingredient “may be toxic” after reviewing results from clinical studies.
Yellow 5 may be damaging to DNA as we documented in our Tula reviews article on another cosmetic brand that uses this ingredient.
In our opinion, the ingredients in the coatings are less concerning than these ingredients in the powder.
Nailboo is not unique in this regard; many nail polish companies use synthetic colorants, but health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid these ingredients.
How to Use Nailboo
A tutorial on the official Nailboo YouTube channel is under two minutes long, and shows how to properly use their nail polish:
Real People Try Nailboo
A YouTube creator named “SipAndDip” has a Nailboo review that includes an unboxing, a price comparison and instructions on how to apply the different coatings and extras like glitter:
Another YouTube creator named “JauntyJuli” shares how to create a “clean” nail look using Nailboo:
Where to Get the Best Price
Nailboo is sold on the brand’s website and on Amazon.
Here’s a price comparison for the starter kit at the time of updating this article:
Brand website: $99 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $19.50 (free shipping, third-party seller, link to Amazon listing)
Nailboo's starter kit is currently over 80% cheaper at Amazon than the brand's website, however the Amazon listing is from a third-party seller.
It may be worthwhile for consumers with high discretionary income to purchase directly from the manufacturer to reduce the risk of receiving a counterfeit product.
Is Nail Polish Toxic?
A YouTube health influencer and doctor named Eric Berg has a video on five women’s products that he recommends people stop using immediately.
We’ve timestamped the below video to start at the nail polish section:
Customers Rate Nailboo
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
Nailboo's starter kit has been reviewed over 1,600 times on Amazon at the time of updating this article, with an average review rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Megan Derry” who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
“The process was really quite simple. Once my nails and cuticles were prepped, the process (including the drying times between steps and at the end) took about 30 minutes to complete. I loved that I only had to wait 5 minutes after I was finished, and my nails were completely dry.”
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Wisdom Amegashie” who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
“From the moment I opened it, I was itching and scratching my face. I’m allergic to it’s products I’ve come to find out. But, I said okay I’ll still use it to see if it’s worthy! Ha! Should have stopped while I was ahead. Instead of product building into a gel like polish. This became a mess on my hands. It literally felt like I had hard dried flour on my fingers. It never settled or smoothed out even after buffing and filing. I finally got tired of buffing my life away and ordered gel remover to get it off. It’s still some remaining around my cuticles.”
Nailboo currently has an average review rating of 1.3 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, with some users like “Laura M” claiming they paid but never received the product:
“ZERO STARS. ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE COMPANY. My husband ordered the dipkit for me for Christmas. order placed 12/18/22.... Apparently the product has been shipped 3 times - we've YET to receive it. The customer service is terrible. I tried calling the phone number online - some random voicemail”
What’s more concerning than the negative BBB reviews is the fact that the company does not respond to most the reviews to try to resolve the situation, which is a sign of a low-quality brand in our opinion.
Why Was Nailboo Sued?
In 2021, Nailboo was sued in a class-action lawsuit according to ClassAction.org.
The plaintiff alleges that Nailboo was sending automated text message ads marketing their products to consumers who did not consent to receiving such ads.
At the time of updating this article, it’s unclear whether this lawsuit is still ongoing.
This information suggests that privacy-conscious consumers interested in Nailboo may wish to purchase their products on Amazon rather than on the brand’s website.
Nailboo Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Nailboo in our opinion:
Pros:
- Cheaper than professional treatment
- No less healthy than professional treatment
- May improve aesthetic appearance of nails
Cons:
- Contains artificial dye
- Nail polish may be toxic
- Brand website charges for shipping
- Mediocre Amazon reviews
- Negative BBB reviews
- Brand fails to respond to majority of BBB complaints
