Basecoat & Sealer Nail Polish vs ColorStay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Enamel: which is safer?

Piggy Paint Basecoat & Sealer Nail Polish is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

Piggy Paint Basecoat & Sealer Nail Polish

Piggy Paint

Basecoat & Sealer Nail Polish

PFAS grade

Excellent 100/100

Overall grade

Excellent 82/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Water-based organic pigments and plant-derived resins

Confidence

82%

PossibleHeavy metals in organic pigments

ReportedVolatile organic compounds (VOCs) from solvents

PossibleBacterial or fungal growth in water-based formula

Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Enamel

Revlon

ColorStay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Enamel

PFAS grade

Excellent 75/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

nitrocellulose-based gel lacquer (polymer film)

Confidence

42%

PossiblePhthalate plasticizers (dibutyl phthalate or DINP)

ReportedVolatile organic compounds (toluene, xylene, acetone inhalation)

PossibleFormaldehyde as hardening agent

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Heavy metals in organic pigments, Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from solvents and Bacterial or fungal growth in water-based formula on the Piggy Paint and not on the Revlon.
  • We flag Phthalate plasticizers (dibutyl phthalate or DINP), Volatile organic compounds (toluene, xylene, acetone inhalation), Formaldehyde as hardening agent and Nitrocellulose film degradation and skin irritation on the Revlon and not on the Piggy Paint.
  • The Piggy Paint is Water-based organic pigments and plant-derived resins where the Revlon is nitrocellulose-based gel lacquer (polymer film), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 25 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Piggy Paint is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Revlon grade, at 42% confidence against 82%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More nail polish & top coat: see the full ranking