Paradise teen launches vegan-friendly nail polish line
A teenager in Paradise has been busy working on the perfect formula for vegan-friendly nail polish, which she hopes to turn into a successful business.
Maggie Drover, 15, has always been interested in nail polish but wanted a healthier alternative to common drug store polish, which she said usually contains toxic chemicals and animal products that most people are unaware of.
"My polish is different from drug store nail polishes because it doesn't contain the 10 most common and harmful toxins in drug store nail polishes, and it also doesn't contain any animal products," she said.
"People think your nails are just dead skin, but it is connected to your body and your body can absorb toxins through your nails."
After months of researching online and mixing by trial and error, she's finally starting to perfect some of her products.
She has a line of 45 colours available for sale through her business, which she called Newfoundlacquer.
Her products are also vegan-friendly, as the raw materials she uses don't contain animal products. Typical drug store polish can contain animal products such as pulverized insects and fish scales, Drover said.
'10-free'
Drover also advertises most of her polishes as being "10-free," which means it doesn't contain the top 10 most hazardous chemicals found it typical drug store nail polish.
She also markets Newfoundlacquer as being kid-friendly.
Drover started her business as an alternative to finding a part-time job. Her parents are the main investors, and her mom helps her with the production of new nail polishes.
"She doesn't like me saying it, but she's kind of the flunky. I'm the one making the formulas and doing all the math and she's the one who fetches ingredients and cleans the containers and stuff," Drover said.
Drover's goal is to continue to build her product line and eventually find retailers to carry her polishes.
She said the business is great fit because it is a mix of art and chemistry, and allows her to work on her own.
"I don't do well being bossed around," she said.
"It's just as much artsy as it is sciencey. I'm not really an artsy person but I do really like the esthetic of matching colours together — but I really like the science part of it."
