Melissa’s question…From what I understand, nails, like hair, are dead cells. Except for the cuticles. I asked a manicurist once and she told me OPI Nail Envy works because it has vitamins in it. This makes no sense to me because, even if it does have vitamins on it, how would putting vitamins on a dead cell, make any difference?
The Left Brain’s answer:
Yes, vitamins in nail products = Marketing BS.
Vitamin vitriol
However, it is worth noting that oil soluble vitamins like Vitamin E & A could help keep the nails less brittle because they would have a plasticizing effect. However, this would be true of many oils.
And, as Dano pointed out in our Forum, Dano “nails are made up of keratinized cells – dead cells jam-packed full of hard keratin protein. The same thing in the dead surface skin cells that allows them to be protective and help keep bad things out of us and good things in us. We can’t put a topical cream containing vitamins on our nails, and actually have it sink down to the cells lower down the nail, or even under the nail bed, just like we can’t spread food on our skin and get our nutrients that way.” (In the Forum thread you’ll also see Melissa’s hilarious comment about a Clinique sales person telling her to buy a certain foundation because it had “more technology.” Funny stuff!)
What do YOU think? Do you buy beauty products with vitamins because you think they’re better for your skin and hair? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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