Fractionated Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

The global nail polish market was estimated at over $15 billion (USD) in 2023 and is expected to grow at a rate greater than 8% between 2024 and 2033. There are two main types of chemistry used for nail polish. The first is nitrocellulose dissolved in a sol-vent. The nitrocellulose hardens after the solvent evaporates. The other chemistry is based on acrylic polymers which polymerize as part of the application process. Other chemicals added to the pol-ish may include photoinitiators, stabilizers, solvents, plasticizers, pigments, thickeners, and even fragrances.

Pyrolysis GC-MS is a valuable tool for identifying polymers and polymer additives. A sample can be thermally extracted at low temperature to identify polymer additives. The same sample can then be rerun at a higher temperature to pyrolyze it for polymer identification.

This work will identify the materials used in scented nail polishes. The GERSTEL pyrolysis system, in combination with gas chroma-tography-mass spectrometry, was used for the analysis.