The first word on the Nail Defender label is a long one: undecylenic acid. It sounds like something from a lab, but its story begins with a plant. Let us follow it from the field to your bathroom shelf.
The castor plant
Castor plants grow tall in warm, sunny places. Their seeds, called castor beans, hold a thick oil. People have pressed these beans for oil for thousands of years.
From oil to acid
When castor oil is heated, it breaks down into smaller parts. One of those parts is undecylenic acid, a fatty acid known for its purifying qualities. The brand puts it first on the label as the backbone of the formula.*
The supporting cast
Undecylenic acid does not work alone. The rest of the label adds:
- Clove oil, from dried clove buds, for a clean, fresh feel*
- Lavender oil, from lavender flowers, for a soothing note*
- Aloe leaf extract, for hydration*
- A four-oil blend of almond, jojoba, chia and linseed*
- Vitamin E, for antioxidant support*
Into the bottle
All six are blended into a liquid and filled into 30 ml spray bottles in a cGMP-certified facility in the USA. The result is a formula you can spray on in seconds.
See every ingredient side by side in our ingredient guide.
