Nailed It
Meet Gitti: the Berlin-based brand taking the nail world by storm.
What would you do if you werent afraid?
Behind that door was Gitti a plant-based, vegan, high-performance polish line that took years to develop.
The night after the party, she started researching nail polish for the first time in her life.
I literally read every patent about every beauty product on the market in Europe.
The line sold out in less than two hours.
In the beauty world, brands free-from lists have often been criticized for greenwashing.
Gittis 30-free, though, are all ingredients still found in traditional polish formulas today, or until recently.
Pop pigments get clean
Gittis initial success in Europe inadvertently helped its product development.
But Baum-Minkus says that her learning has been that demand from customers creates supply in the beauty industry.
Suppliers approached us with new pigments that were dissolvable in our plant-based solvents.
It also led to a mushrooming of other ingredient-conscious polish lines after companies saw the consumer interest grow.
This industry-wide awakening helped Baum-Minkus take her color range to where she wanted it to go.
Gitti also needed to get glitter right, since tinsel was literally what brought about Baum-Minkus polish awakening.
Glitter, in general, gives clean beauty brands nightmares.
Microplastic-based glitter was obviously not an option for Gitti.
But mica, if sourced right, could be.
It took us a long time to develop a product which has the glitter effect, she says.
Gitti was the first to launch a microplastic-free glitter nail polish in Europe.
This led to an extended amount of dry time due to the multiple layers.
Also, they did not last long and chipped easily.
Then, I shove my feet into athletic socks and go to Pilates.
Ill be honest: I did not expect Gitti to pass my test.
I redid that nail with more patience and used the Quick Dry Solution before applying the top coat again.
A Few Gitti Favorites
Pink Sheen is Kim Truongs hands-down fave.
It also makes the perfect base layer for a French manicure and all nail art.
This classic, bright red is ideal for all seasons but especially perfect for the holidays.
This shade has many fans, Truong being one.
This is the creamiest, most beautiful orange Ive seen out there, says Truong.
Its great as a summer shade on nails and toes.
Well be wearing this all year round, though.
And therefore I launched it, she says.
People tend to say that they don’t like something because they haven’t seen it.
If the glazed look is on your at-home manicure bucket list, this will help you check it off.
It adds an iridescent effect to any shade, says Truong.
Apply it to the nail before polish for a peek-a-boo sheen.
This article was originally published onSep.
