# Nails.INC ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Founded | 1999 | | Origin | United Kingdom | | Headquarters | London | | Owner | Pacific World Corporation | | Status | Acquired | | Website | https://nailsinc.com/ | Nails.INC is a British nail-care brand founded in London in 1999 by Thea Green, a former fashion editor who set out to bring fast, affordable manicures and fashion-led nail products to the UK market [2]. Stylised as "Nails.INC" in its marketing while trading legally as "Nails Inc London," the company built its reputation on colour-led nail polish, treatments and a steady run of first-to-market product launches. Since October 2024 it has been owned by Pacific World Corporation, though it continues to operate as a standalone brand with new launches into 2025 [8]. The brand sits at the prestige end of the mass market and is sold internationally through retailers and department stores. It also gave rise to a sister cosmetics line, INC.redible, launched in 2017. ## Origin & founders Before starting the company, Thea Green was a fashion editor at Tatler. On regular work trips to New York she noticed how quick and efficient the city's nail bars were, and that they lacked the fashionable, high-quality products she expected; returning to London, she set out to fill that gap. According to the company, the idea was that "everyone should have nice nails," in deliberate contrast to a UK nail scene she described as having been "aimed at ladies at lunch" [7]. Green has said she thinks of the result as "as much of a fashion brand as a beauty brand." Nails.INC opened its first site on South Molton Street in London's West End in 1999, backed by £200,000 of investor funding. The brand's own materials and editorial profiles credit Thea Green as sole founder [1]; Wikipedia's entry additionally lists MT Carney as a co-founder [6]. ## History & milestones Through the 2000s the company expanded from a single location into department-store concessions and salons, and in 2003 it set up a training academy for beauty therapists in London. A US expansion followed in 2014, the same year it released two limited-edition polishes with Victoria Beckham. Product launches became the brand's signature. In 2015 it introduced what it called the world's first spray-on nail polish, sold in a paint-can format [6]. Later collaborations leaned into novelty and pop culture, including chocolate-scented polishes with the ice-cream brand Magnum and a Percy Pig collection with Marks & Spencer in 2022, and a limited-edition set with the fragrance label Jo Loves in 2025. In 2017 the company launched a separate cosmetics brand, INC.redible. ## Ownership In October 2024, Nails.INC was acquired by Pacific World Corporation [8]. The brand has continued to operate under its own name following the acquisition, with new products and seasonal content appearing through 2025. ## Philosophy & positioning Nails.INC positions itself around innovation and trend-setting rather than trend-following. "We aim to dictate trends rather than follow them," the company has said, framing its work as introducing new nail technology to solve everyday problems for customers [8]. Commercially it targets a broad audience looking for fast, affordable and fashionable manicures, a market it contrasts with the older, more exclusive salon clientele. On ethics, the brand states that it is "100% cruelty-free" and does not test on animals, and describes itself as a "100% vegetarian brand working towards being 100% vegan" [3]. These are self-declared claims; no formal third-party certification such as Leaping Bunny is documented. ## Products & innovation The range centres on nail polish, including gel-effect, chrome and press-on formats, alongside base and top coats, treatments, removers and tools. The brand's hero technology is Superfood NailKale, a treatment formula built around kale as an antioxidant ingredient and associated in press coverage with model Alexa Chung [7]. Other proprietary lines include gelLED, a gel-effect system paired with an LED lamp, and It's Topless, launched in 2025 and described by the company as its first 4-in-1 polish, combining base coat, treatment, colour and top coat in a single step [8]. ## Recognition In 2013 Nails.INC received the Queen's Award for Enterprise for International Trade [9]. Founder Thea Green was appointed MBE in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to the beauty industry [9]. The brand's own listings also cite a 2020 Beauty Award and a 2025 Allure Best of Beauty award. Green and the company have been profiled by outlets including Refinery29, the Design Museum and the trade publication TheIndustry.beauty. ## Current status Nails.INC remains active. It was acquired by Pacific World Corporation in October 2024 and has continued trading as a standalone brand, with its most recent visible activity including the March 2025 launch of It's Topless and a December 2025 collaboration with Jo Loves. The brand reports operating across markets including the UK, US, Australia and Japan, and exporting to more than 30 countries. ## Sources 1. (T1) https://nailsinc.com/ 2. (T1) https://nailsinc.com/pages/our-history 3. (T2) https://nailsinc.com/pages/faqs 6. (T3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nails_Inc. 7. (T3) https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/thea-green-nails-inc-incredible-makeup 8. (T3) https://theindustry.beauty/the-interview-nails-inc-founder-thea-green-on-innovation-staying-ahead-of-trends-and-building-customer-loyalty/ 9. (T3) https://designmuseum.org/designers/thea-green-mbe --- Glowpedia · · Published 2026-07-20 · Updated 2026-07-26 Please cite with a link to the article URL.