Nail polish

Unlike our parents and grandparents who may have smoked while pregnant, had a martini or three, and *gasp* ate processed foods, moms-to-be these days are much more cautious about what they put in and on their bodies while they’re gestating. Part of this is simply because we know a lot more about the safety (or lack thereof) of various chemicals. Nail polishespecially, which historically contains nasty things like formaldehyde and toluene that can cause birth defects, is a product that has been deemed a thing to avoid during pregnancy. However, many nail polish brands have been revamped over the last few years to be “safer,” and the so-called “Three-Free” classification became more common.

Three-Free means the polish doesn’t contain formaldehyde, dibutyl phthlate (DBP), or toluene. Lots of commercial brands are three-free now: butter London, Deborah Lippmann, OPI and many more. But you still have to do your homework, and it’s not always obvious if a product is “safe” when you go to hunt for ingredient lists. NBC in Los Angeles reports today that some products used in California nail salons that claim to be free of toxins are actually mislabeled. Scary. What’s a mommy-to-be–especially one craving hot pink nails–to do?

Enter Knocked Up Nails, a product which caught our eye for being touted as “Maternity Safe” nail polish and for sporting some absolutely ridiculous color names.

Going where no nail polish has gone before, colors like 18 K Gold Crown(ing), I Earned a Little Blue Box, O-Blue-GYN, and Mint Chip at Midnight (Ed note: At least she didn’t name a color “Placenta”), we knew we had to have a chat with the line’s founder Ashley Judge, who also owns a company called AlwaysFits.com, a quirky gift site that has an entire category dedicated to mustaches. Here’s what she had to say about her nail polish, celebrity collabs, and why she thinks her nail polish line is safer than others: