Biochemistry Meets Beauty: Seaweed and Shells Transform into Reusable Nails
Almost entirely made from a small selection of industrial polymers including acrylics and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), artificial nails are big business.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the artificial nails market is expected to grow from $1.59 billion this year to $2.37 billion by 2032. Almost half of this will be spent on press-on nails.
However, the artificial nail industry is not without its health and sustainability challenges. Microplastics, solvents and methyl methacrylate present in acrylic powders can be inhaled during the preparation and installation phase. Most end up in landfills after relatively short lives.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder’s ATLAS Institute, which brings together experts in engineering, design, science and art, have tackled these issues with two new kinds of press-ons, called Bio-e-Nails.
Unlike orthodox press-ons, Bio-e-Nails use common ingredients obtained from either algae or the hard exteriors of shellfish. They’re biodegradable, colorful and endlessly customizable. When you’re tired of one nail look, simply melt them down and try something else.
“With Bio-e-Nails, there can be a second life, a third life, a fourth life,” said Lázaro Vásquez, a doctoral student at ATLAS and lead author of a research paper about the work, which was unveiled at the Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction conference in France in March.
“The material can be remelted and reshaped into new objects. You can make a new nail, for sure, but also a coaster for your coffee cup,” she added.
In one version, agar is used. This polysaccharide biopolymer is extracted from the cell walls of certain red algae species and is a commonly used gelling agent and thickener. The Boulder team mixed it with water, glycerin and pigment and subjected the material to a heating, pouring, layering, customizing, shaping and sealing regime. It takes approximately seven days to get a full set of the nails of your choice, including bespoke embellishment.
A second version uses chitosan, a biopolymer from chitin in seashells that often is used in drug delivery for its biocompatibility and biodegradability and which has better mechanical properties than agar. It is mixed with water, vinegar and pigment and undergoes a mixing, warming, cooling, customization, casting and shaping regime. After five days, a full set of chitosan nails is ready to wear.
Both fabrication methods use materials found in most kitchens, possibly with some slight improvisation. The full details of the recipes are in the paper.
The nails can be fully recycled by chemical, mechanical and biological methods or a combination, depending on the wearers’ needs and flexibility.
Beyond aesthetics, the team also worked on the functional applicability of Bio-e-Nails. For example, they embedded near-field communication chips in the algae-based bioplastic during fabrication and programmed them to text the wearer’s current location. This, they say, can be helpful in contexts when the wearer may not be able to type or use speech-to-text, such as during medical conditions likes seizures and anxiety attacks — or at the end of a late-night party.
In the case of the chitosan bioplastic, they embedded photochromic pigment that changes color from brown to dark red in the presence of sunlight, potentially reminding the wearer about the need for sunscreen protection.
Nevertheless, the team still faces some challenges.
For example, the mechanical properties of biobased materials can affect nail performance. Agar-based nails perform better when kept short, as longer versions tend to bend. Chitosan, although stronger, requires higher temperatures for preparation and a heat gun for shaping, which can slow the fabrication process.
In terms of comfort, Bio-e-Nails require adjustments compared to plastic nails due to differences in fragility, texture and weight. Agar-based nails are heavier, for example, so the number of enhancements should be carefully considered.
As biomaterials are sensitive to heat and water, Bio-e-Nails are designed for temporary wear, lasting about a week with daily wear.
For Bio-e-Nails with embedded NFC chips, the communication range is limited to 2.5 cm, needing close interaction with a phone and restricting use to the thumb, index finger and middle finger due to the dexterity required. Next up, the team will study how their press-ons integrate into daily lifestyles of different user demographics.
They believe this could open new possibilities for other devices that are close to the body, such as menstrual or medical single-use devices.
“By prioritizing the lifecycle of materials and closely observing their behaviors, designers can find new design opportunities for innovation in temporary beauty tech. The focus on materiality allows for a deeper connection between the device and its user, advancing both design and sustainability practices in beauty tech and wearables,” the research paper concluded.
