CND

CND, short for Creative Nail Design, is an American professional nail-care company founded in 1979 in Southern California [4]. It develops products and education programs for the professional nail, hand and foot market, and is best known for SHELLAC, the long-wear gel-polish system it introduced in 2010. Since October 2013 the company has been owned by the cosmetics group Revlon [6].

The brand describes itself as a professional nail authority and "a brand of firsts," and frames its work around the idea that nails are an artist's canvas. It remains active, with a current catalogue built around its SHELLAC and VINYLUX lines and a network of professional certification programs.

⚑ Thinner sourcing. The article relies largely on the brand's own statements (T2–T3). Glowpedia is seeking independent sources.

CND began with an observation made in a dental office. Dr. Stuart Nordstrom, a dentist and chemistry hobbyist, was told by a patient that the temporary cap material used in dentistry resembled the material used for sculpting porcelain nails. That parallel led him to develop SolarNail, which the company describes as the industry's first cross-linked polymer resin system and its first monomer formulation to deliver natural colour without yellowing [4].

Nordstrom patented the innovation and passed it to his children to build into a business [4]. His daughter Jan Nordstrom-Arnold, named as co-founder, led marketing and education; according to the company's anniversary account, two of her brothers also took roles, with Jim handling science and finance and Tom overseeing product formulation and distribution. From the start, the company says, its founding principle stressed that nail-salon services should be available to every person regardless of size, shape or colour.

CND has changed hands several times within the professional beauty industry. Revlon Professional Worldwide first acquired Creative Nail Design Systems in 1996 [6]. In 2000, Revlon sold CND and its worldwide professional-products business to The Colomer Group [6]. The brand returned to Revlon in 2013: Revlon announced the purchase of the Colomer Group in August of that year and finalised the roughly $660 million deal in October, bringing CND back into its professional portfolio [6]. Within Revlon, CND sits alongside professional and consumer brands including Elizabeth Arden, American Crew and Cutex.

CND positions itself as a professional-tier brand sold through salons and spas rather than mass retail. Its stated mission is to treat "nails as an artists' canvas," pairing creativity and craftsmanship with what it calls possibilities "backed by science." The company uses the tagline "The Art & Care of Nails" and emphasises caring for the natural nail alongside enabling self-expression. Education is central to its model: the brand reports having certified more than 10,000 Masters and over 1,000 Grand Masters across its liquid-and-powder, gel and natural-nail-care programs.

The company's products centre on professional nail enhancement, colour and treatment. Its signature offering is SHELLAC, introduced in 2010 after roughly five years of development as a UV-cured system marketed for 14 or more days of wear [2]. A third-party nail-industry profile credits SHELLAC with establishing a new product category, the hybrid gel-like polish that wears longer than traditional lacquer [5]. In 2013 CND launched VINYLUX, a long-wear polish system built around its ProLight Technology [2].

Beyond these, the brand's portfolio and proprietary technologies include the original SolarNail liquid-and-powder system, the RETENTION+ enhancement line, BRISA gel systems and SOLAROIL cuticle and nail treatments. CND describes the SHELLAC three-part system as wearing "flawlessly for 14+ days of high gloss shine" while curing in a UV lamp for "zero dry time."

CND is an active, globally distributed professional nail brand. Its website lists current product lines and ongoing professional education programs, and the company marked its 40th anniversary in 2019 [1]. It operates as part of Revlon's professional brand portfolio.