Toluene

Also known as: methylbenzene, phenylmethane

Moderate concernunder our published method

By NordicScan Evidence Engine · generated from structured evidence records · source spans verified by automated gates · Reviewed 2026-07-08 · Evidence snapshot geo-wave1-evidence-snapshot-2026-07-08 · Scoring engine det_v3 · how we score.

What it is

Toluene is a solvent historically used in some nail polish, nail hardener and polish remover products.

Why people ask

People ask because nail products can still trigger questions about older solvent systems and phase-out language.

What our method flags — by use

Cosmetic · US nail products

In nail-product scope, our method rates toluene as moderate-concern because FDA describes its use as being phased out.

The US FDA flagged by nail-care page toluene as a solvent used in a variety of nail products and states that its use is being phased out.

Authority / source	Finding (our paraphrase)	Evidence tier	Date	Link
US FDA	The US FDA flagged by nail-care page toluene as a solvent used in a variety of nail products and states that its use is being phased out.	authority_regulatory	2024-10-15	source

Evidence coverage for this use: Limited (computed from source count × authority tier × recency; signals depth, does not change the concern band).

How this moves a product’s score

On a product score, toluene contributes a moderate concern signal in nail-product scope from the FDA phase-out language.

Nordic Scan provides ingredient information and a concern score under our published method, for general consumer research. It is not medical advice and not a medical device, and does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or determine the safety of any product. Decide for yourself.

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Reviewed 2026-07-08 · Evidence snapshot geo-wave1-evidence-snapshot-2026-07-08 · Scoring engine det_v3 · Sources checked 2026-07-08 · See how we score.