Nail polish can be harsh on skin and nails. Acetone can also remove artificial nails made of acrylic or cured gel. A less harsh nail polish remover is ethyl acetate, which often also contains isopropyl alcohol. Ethyl acetate is usually the original solvent for nail polish itself. Acetonitrile has been used as a nail polish remover, but it is more toxic and potentially more carcinogenic than the aforementioned options. It has been banned in the European Economic Area for use in cosmetics since 17 March 2000. The health risks associated with nail polish are disputed. According to the U.S. Department of Health
Cosmetology and cosmetology industries, some of the products used in hair dyes and nail applications contain chemicals that have been shown to have adverse health effects for cosmetologists. A chemical combination known as the toxic trio is often part of the ingredient list in nail polish, hair dyes, and nail polish removers. The toxic trio consists of formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). DBP is frequently found in nail polish and is used as a binder to increase the amount of time the polish stays on the nail. Toluene is an industrial solvent and is usually in nail polish removers. Formaldehyde