Nails Inc. Nail Polish Review: Plant Power vs. Gel Effect Compared

Nails Inc. sells two distinct polish lines worth knowing apart: the Plant Power vegan formula built around plant-derived ingredients, and the Gel With It gel-effect set that mimics a salon gel look without a UV lamp. Neither is "all-natural" or chip-guaranteed — both still rely on standard nail-lacquer solvents, and wear time depends heavily on how you apply them.

If you're comparing these two collections before buying, the differences come down to formula philosophy, shade selection, and the stated application steps. Here's what the brand's own product pages and policy documentation actually support — and where marketing language needs a second look.

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Comparing Two Nails Inc. Polish Options

Nails Inc. is a UK-based nail brand with a wide shade catalog spanning several sub-lines. Two examples worth comparing are Plant Power, which leans on plant-derived ingredients and a vegan positioning, and Gel With It, a gel-effect set designed to deliver a glossy, salon-style finish without curing under a UV lamp.

Both lines share the brand's broader claims of being cruelty-free and working toward a fully vegan range — worth noting that the company itself frames this as a 100% cruelty-free, vegetarian formulation that is moving toward 100% vegan status rather than already there. If a specific shade's vegan or halal-friendly status matters to you, check the explicit product claim and ask the brand about any certification you require, since formulations can vary by shade and season.

Plant Power: What's Actually in the Bottle

The Plant Power Clean To The Core polish, a blue-leaning nude shade, is marketed as roughly 73% plant-based and part of the brand's "21-free" formulation family, meaning it's formulated without 21 commonly flagged ingredients. Nails Inc. also markets Plant Power shades as vegan, cruelty-free, and halal-friendly.

Here's the important nuance: the product's own ingredient list still includes standard lacquer components such as ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, nitrocellulose, and alcohol. That means "21-free" and "plant-based" don't translate to chemical-free, 100% natural, or automatically allergy-safe — they describe specific exclusions, not the absence of all reactive ingredients. Anyone with known sensitivities to nail polish solvents should still read the full label before use.

Nails Inc. describes the bottle’s cap as FSC-certified ash wood, which covers the cap material specifically — it isn't a claim that the entire bottle is compostable. Application follows the standard four-step lacquer process: base coat, two color coats, and a top coat. We have not conducted a wear test; the product page’s durability language should be read as a manufacturer claim.

Gel With It: The Six-Shade Gel-Effect Set

The Gel With It six-piece set is a gel-effect collection, not a true gel system — there's no UV or LED lamp involved, and it dries the same way regular air-dry polish does. The appeal is the finish: a gel-like glossy look, achieved through formulation rather than curing chemistry.

The set includes six named shades: Colville Mews (delicate nude), Uptown (dusky pink), Black Taxi (black), Mayfair Lane (pale pink), Porchester Square (muted mushroom), and Chiltern Street (baby pink). That's a practical spread if you want one set covering neutral, dark, and pink-toned options without buying bottles individually.

Like Plant Power, the brand markets this line as vegan and cruelty-free with a "long wear" claim, which does not establish a specific wear duration for every user. Application is the same four-layer process: base coat, two color coats, top coat. Check the seller’s policy if a product seems defective; ordinary wear expectations and return eligibility are different questions.

Application Tips That Actually Affect Wear Time

Application and daily use can affect wear alongside the formula itself. A few practical points apply to both Plant Power and Gel With It:

Thin coats dry faster and more evenly. Thick coats trap solvent underneath, which extends true dry time even if the surface looks set.
Full dry time varies by coat thickness, room temperature, and humidity — there's no fixed number of minutes that applies to every application.
Avoid skin contact during application. Cleanup around the cuticle is easier before the polish sets than after.
Use labeled nail polish remover, not peeling or aggressive buffing, to take polish off. Peeling gel-effect or standard lacquer off the nail plate can thin and damage the nail surface over repeated use.
Chip resistance depends on prep and daily activity — not a fixed wear guarantee from either line. Follow the product’s preparation and top-coat directions, then assess how it wears during your own routine.

Ingredient Safety and What the Claims Actually Mean

General FDA guidance on nail care products is useful context here regardless of brand: read the label and use products as directed, apply in a ventilated area, and avoid contact with flame, eyes, or ingestion. Allergic reactions to nail polish ingredients can occur even in "clean" formulations, and the FDA recommends seeking medical advice if a reaction happens.

It's also worth understanding that cosmetics like nail polish are generally not FDA pre-approved before hitting shelves — color additives are the main exception requiring approval. So a brand's own "clean" or "21-free" labeling is a formulation choice, not a government certification. Nail polish also isn't a treatment for nail fungus, and any ingredient-exclusion list (like "21-free") describes specific compounds left out — it isn't a universal safety ranking against every other polish on the market.

The practical takeaway: a plant-based or higher-priced polish isn't automatically healthier or safer than a conventional one. Use the label to identify ingredients you already know you react to; it cannot predict every possible allergy.

Shopping, Shipping, and Returns

Policy details vary by region, so check the official Nails Inc. FAQ page at checkout rather than relying on older promotional claims. For UK and EU orders, the brand states a 30-day return window from receipt, and the buyer covers return postage — original shipping charges aren't refunded. If you're buying through a third-party retailer rather than directly from Nails Inc., that retailer's own return policy applies instead, and it may differ from the brand’s direct-store terms.

Shipping availability to Canada is inconsistently described across the brand's own pages, so it's not something to assume is guaranteed — confirm current availability and cost at checkout for your specific location rather than relying on a fixed threshold or discount figure, because delivery options and promotions can change.

Bottom Line

Nails Inc.'s Plant Power and Gel With It lines serve different priorities rather than competing head-to-head: Plant Power leans on a plant-derived, 21-free formulation story, while Gel With It focuses on a glossy, gel-style finish without a UV lamp. Both apply the same way — base coat, two color coats, top coat — and both rely on brand marketing language for durability claims that this review has not independently tested.

If you're choosing between them, match the shade and finish to what you actually want without assuming that the collection name determines every shade’s finish, check the ingredient list if you have known sensitivities, and don't expect a chip-free guarantee from either collection. Application technique — thin coats, clean prep, gentle removal — can affect how long the manicure lasts, along with the formula and your activities.