Everything you need to know about HEMA and CND products

HEMA is on everyones lips these days as well as product safety. We have asked CNDs lab to answer the most important questions about HEMA and CNDs products.

1. Is CND HEMA-free?
   • We can confirm that CND Shellac is formulated without free monomeric HEMA. Bis-HEMA and Di-HEMA are only partial names of the chemicals of two oligomers that are vital to other properties like strength and abrasion resistance within the CND Shellac formula. Bis-HEMA-oligomers and Di-HEMA-oligomers are entirely different to free-monomeric HEMA (also known as HEMA), which as mentioned before, is not added to CND Shellac.

1. Is CND PLEXIGEL HEMA-free?
   • CND PLEXIGEL is also formulated without free-monomeric HEMA. Bis-HEMA and Di-HEMA are only partial names of the chemicals of two oligomers that are vital to other properties like strength and abrasion resistance within the CND PLEXIGEL formula. Bis-HEMA-oligomers and Di-HEMA-oligomers are entirely different to free-monomeric HEMA (also known as HEMA), which as mentioned before, is not added to CND PLEXIGEL.CND PLEXIGEL bonder also contains HEMA Maleate - a reactive diluent monomer that is one molecule of HEMA that is chemically bound to one molecule of Maleate. 

1. Is HEMA bad for nails?
   • The SCCS (Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety) states that HEMA and di-HEMA-TMHDC, when applied appropriately to the nail plate at concentrations of up to 35% and 99% respectively as part of an artificial nail modeling system, are not likely to pose a risk of sensitization, provided that their use is restricted to the nail plate only and contact with the adjacent skin is avoided.

1. What is HEMA in nail treatments? 
   • HEMA is a reactive monomer – hydroxyethyl methacrylate.  It can be used to dissolve compounds like photo initiators and thermal stabilizers, and also can be used to reduce viscosity of thicker formulations. It reacts with photo initiators during light exposure to polymerize into a solid film.

1. Why use CND nails?
   • CND is the global leader in professional nail products– including CND™ SHELLAC™, the original gel polish that revolutionized the beauty industry. Deeply committed to advancing the nail care industry, CND devotes significant time and resources to product research and development, education and customer support, and each raw material CND uses, as well as finished formulas are thoroughly screened by our Regulatory and Safety teams. As an industry-leading advocate for the role of nail care in personal beauty and fashion, CND products provide nail and beauty professionals endless possibilities to create stunning nail art designs, color layering options, fashion trends and enhancements.