Biodegradable fake fingernails make manicures more sustainable

In a new study, a team of researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder's ATLAS Institute has designed a new kind of press-on nails that are biodegradable, colorful and endlessly customizable.

The group's designs, called Bio-e-Nails, use common ingredients obtained from algae or the hard exteriors of shellfish and other animals. They come in all shapes and sizes: Do you like long and sparkly nails? You can make them yourself in your own kitchen. What about shorter, bright pink nails with built-in computer chips? They're possible, too.

And, when you're done with your latest look, you can melt down the nails and make a new set -- or whatever else you can imagine, said co-creator Eldy Lázaro Vásquez.

"With Bio-e-Nails, there can be a second life, a third life, a fourth life," said Lázaro Vásquez, a doctoral student at ATLAS and lead author of the new research. "The material can be remelted and reshaped into new objects. You can make a new nail, for sure, but also a coaster for your coffee cup."

She and her colleagues unveiled their Bio-e-Nails in March at the 2025 Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI) conference in France.

The team's instructions for making Bio-e-Nails are available for free online. They're also easy enough that anyone can follow them using craft supplies and ingredients for sale at many grocery stores.

Mirela Alistar, the study's senior author, explained that creating sustainable fashion doesn't mean sacrificing functionality or beauty.

"Sustainability goes beyond merely replacing plastic with a substitute material," said Alistar, assistant professor at ATLAS and the Department of Computer Science. "Both the designer and the user also need to change their mindset. That type of change, which considers the entire lifecycle of the wearable, is what we are tackling through our research in the Living Matter Lab."

A few simple steps

Lázaro Vásquez noted that, for many people, going to the nail salon is an important ritual, and a very visible way to express themselves.

"[Nails] can be a reflection of your personality," Lázaro Vásquez said. "They represent something that comes from you."

But treating yourself can also come with a downside. Many of the chemicals that nails salons employ can generate air pollutants that pose risks to health of customers and workers. They include methyl methacrylate, which helps acrylic nails bond to your real ones. According to one estimate, the global press-on nails industry is worth nearly $700 million and growing rapidly, which means a lot of plastic waste going into landfills.

"We're not used to thinking of nails as a waste material because they're so small, but they add up," Alistar said.

Bio-e-Nails represent a new way of thinking about that process. Julia Tung, an undergraduate student who took a course on biodesign taught by Alistar in 2023, developed a set of bioplastic nails as a class project. Following Tung's initial explorations, Lázaro Vásquez and her fellow graduate students Sepideh Mohammadi, Latifa Al Naimi and Shira David developed new biomaterial formulations and fabrication methods for their nails.

To make Bio-e-Nails, designers begin with one of two powder ingredients: Agar (which comes from algae and is often used as a vegan substitute for gelatin) or chitosan (which comes from seashells and other animal products and is a common health supplement).

If you're using chitosan, you first mix that ingredient with vinegar and water, then warm and cool the slurry in a water bath. Next, pour it into a clay mold shaped like your favorite press-on nails. After 48 hours, you're ready to peel off the thin film and trim away the excess material. (The directions for making agar nails are a little different but just as simple).

Voilá -- it's time to show off those new nails.

Make it your own

Lázaro Vásquez added that Bio-e-Nails are customizable for any aesthetic and can also be interactive.

You can, for example, add food coloring to create nails in bright orange, green, blue or any other color. You might also introduce sparkles or crystals for a bit of extra glam, even making nails that look like a starry night sky. The researchers experimented with incorporating tiny computer chips into Bio-e-Nails. You can then program your smartphone to trigger certain commands when you tap it with your nail -- such as displaying the number for your emergency contact or pulling up directions home.

Bio-e-Nails are designed for short-term use, Lázaro Vásquez said, making them ideal for occasions like a night out. The research team proposed three ways to extend the life cycle of the materials, with composting as the last resort. A better option is to reuse those materials for your next look.

"Composting should be the last alternative. We want to keep the materials in use as long as we can," Lázaro Vásquez said. "In biodesign, it's not just about replacing traditional materials with biodegradable ones -- it's about rethinking the entire design process, considering the life cycle of the material and eventual products, and how they can stay in circulation and be transformed before they ever return to nature."