Nailberry

Nailberry is a British nail-care brand founded in London in 2012 [2]. It is known for breathable, "clean" nail polish marketed under the name L'Oxygéné, and positions itself in the premium end of the nail market with vegan, cruelty-free and halal formulations. Some retailers list the brand in capitals as "NAILBERRY", but it trades as Nailberry, sometimes styled Nailberry London.

Since October 2022 the brand has been owned by the listed group Silverwood Brands PLC, which acquired it for an initial £6 million in cash plus up to £4 million in deferred shares [9]. Nailberry continues to operate as a standalone brand within that group, selling directly through its own site and shipping internationally.

Nailberry was founded by Sonia Hully, who ran a nail bar in Chelsea, London. According to the company, the business began as a luxury nail bar and then developed into a polish range after Hully observed clients with dry, damaged nails that she attributed to lifestyle factors, pollution and semi-permanent gel manicures [2]. The brand describes its aim as delivering "a healthier manicure", summarised in the tagline "Colour your nails healthy!"

There is a minor discrepancy in the founding date. The company dates its origin to 2012 [2], while trade press reporting around the 2022 acquisition cites 2013, with the polish range launching in 2014 [9]. The most likely reconciliation is that the nail bar opened in 2012 and the retail polish range followed later.

The polish range was launched commercially in the mid-2010s, and the brand accumulated a series of trade awards, including Beauty Shortlist Awards in 2014, 2016 and 2017 and a Natural Health Award in 2016. In October 2022 Nailberry was acquired by Silverwood Brands PLC, the transaction that moved the brand from founder ownership into a listed group structure.

Nailberry's parent company is Silverwood Brands PLC, whose group also includes the skincare brand Balmonds and the moisturiser brand Steamcream [11]. The 2022 deal valued the acquisition at an initial £6 million in cash with up to £4 million in further deferred shares, and founder Sonia Hully remained with the business as a director.

The brand frames itself around health, wellness and respect for the environment, and markets its polishes as breathable: formulas that, the company says, form a film allowing air and water vapour to pass through to the nail. Nailberry presents this as a healthier alternative to conventional polish and to gel and acrylic manicures, aimed at consumers who want colour without compromising nail condition.

A recurring point in the brand's marketing concerns how many ingredients its formulas exclude. Its FAQ and philosophy pages describe a "12-Free" formula that omits twelve ingredients commonly found in nail polish, among them camphor, formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, parabens and alcohol [7]. Newer homepage marketing instead states a "21-Toxin Free" figure [1]; both are the brand's own claims rather than independently standardised certifications.

The flagship product is the L'Oxygéné range of breathable nail polish, which the company describes as using patented technology to deliver colour through what it calls a healthier manicure. Around this sit nail treatments and care products, including a Strengthen & Breathe base coat, an Acai Nail Elixir and a Rescue Serum. The brand markets proprietary names such as "Advanced Oxygen Technology" and "Clean by Nature Technology" for its formulation approach, and says independent testing shows higher water and oxygen permeability than regular polish.

The polishes are described as bio-sourced, with the company stating that the formula is 75% natural in origin, drawing on plant-derived biomass from sources such as sugarcane, corn, cotton and cassava in place of some petrochemicals. The products are made in France. On the ethics side, Nailberry's L'Oxygéné line is certified by PETA as cruelty-free and vegan [3], and the brand also markets its products as halal and gluten-free.

Beyond its trade awards, Nailberry has been reviewed within the clean-beauty space. The retailer and review platform Violet Grey gave its breathable polish a "Violet Code Approved" rating from its panel of industry experts [10]. The 2022 acquisition was covered by the trade title Cosmetics Business, which described Nailberry as a premium "clean" nail polish brand with certified vegan, cruelty-free and halal credentials and a patented breathable formula.

Nailberry links part of its sales to an environmental cause, stating that it donates £1 from every bio-sourced bottle to DIRT, a charity focused on sustainable cultivation of raw materials [4]. The bio-sourced positioning, replacing petrochemical inputs with plant-derived alternatives, is the brand's main stated sustainability claim alongside its packaging and formulation messaging.

Nailberry is an active, trading brand under Silverwood Brands PLC ownership following the 2022 acquisition. It continues to sell directly through nailberry.co.uk, ships internationally, and is also stocked by department stores and beauty retailers such as John Lewis, Space NK and Sephora. The most recent clearly dated brand activity in the source material is blog content from 2024, including seasonal posts authored under the founder's name [8].