Cosmetics and ancillary preparations for the care of nails. Composition, chemistry, and adverse reactions.

Cosmetics and ancillary preparations for care of the nails have long been used in abundance by women and to a much lesser extent by men. In this article, types of such cosmetics and ancillary preparations, their composition, and something of the chemistry of their ingredients are given. Several examples of adverse reactions to them are described and illustrated. The incidence of adverse reactions to them is small as a percentage, but significant as an absolute number because the number of them used is huge. When adverse reactions occur they may be severe.