How to Make UV Gel Nail Polish

If you are wondering what the recipe is for the gel nail polish that cures with these low powered LED lamps, you have come to the right place. I will describe the chemicals needed and you will find a link to a video where I show you how.

This type of nail polish is really acrylate based but since "gel" sounds cooler, its what stuck! I have been formulating UV coatings for almost 30 years and the raw materials used are quite similar.

Formulations can be built on acrylate or methacrylate polymers, the latter being preferred. By blending monomomers, oligomers, colorants, and photoinitiators you can make a basic formula. The addition of crosslinkers will make the cured nail polish harder while lower levels allow for easier removal by soaking in acetone.

A common photoinitiator used is 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl diphenyl phosphine oxide ( or TPO) which allows the nail polish to cure using a combination of light emitting diodes (LED).

Formulations typically include a shelf life stabilizer as well such as hydroquinone.

Here is a basic recipe I put together which you can make easily by simply mixing the ingredients together:

UV Gel Nail Polish Formulation:

• Urethane acrylate monomer: 64 parts

• Polyester Acrylate: 20 parts

• HDODA crosslinker: 15 parts

• TPO: 5 parts

• Red Dispersion: 8 parts

The curing system I used was one my daughter purchased from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4crAMVi. It operates of dual wavelengths and worked well with my recipe.

Here you can find a video of how the UV Gel Nail Polish is made and how I tested it: