Keratin Nails creates solvent- and plastic-free coatings using peptide technology that matches the target material surface's chemistry and nano/micro-structure for optimal adherence without using volatile organic solvents.
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Jiye Son
Jiye Son is the founder and CEO of Keratin Nails. Son is on a mission to solve a public health and climate crisis involving harmful, petroleum-derived volatile chemicals used in consumer products, starting with nail polish. After immigrating to Long Island, New York, from Seoul, South Korea, Son worked in nail salons for over ten years while obtaining her B.Sc. in chemistry from Stony Brook University. After obtaining her Ph.D. in nanotechnology and materials chemistry from the City University of New York (CUNY), Son was the associate director of the Nanoscience Initiative at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, where she led research training programs for Ph.D. and undergraduate students, emphasizing professional and career development skills.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
Petroleum-derived solvents like methyl- and ethyl-methacrylate and other volatile organic solvents used in nail products pose an occupational chemical hazard to over 400K nail salon workers in the United States—primarily immigrant women. Public health researchers have found elevated levels of chemicals like phthalates and toluene in the indoor air of nail salons and in workers' blood and urine samples. According to the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, 25 percent of nail technicians had complications during pregnancy, compared to eight percent of the general population, and they are three times more likely to have babies with congenital disabilities.
Technology Vision
Using amino acids and other bio-derived molecules, our technology customizes coatings that match the target material surface's chemistry and nano/micro-structure for optimal adherence without using volatile organic solvents. The ingredients for our formula can be extracted from existing biomass, so our coatings are completely bio-derived and contain no petroleum-based ingredients.
Potential for Impact
Our bio-derived coating technology can potentially replace current petroleum-based formulas used in multiple industries like nail polish, latex paints, and hair and textile dyes that contribute to nearly 400M tons of greenhouse gas emissions globally. By gaining 10 percent of market share in paint and nail polish industries, our technology has the potential to mitigate 39M tons of CO2e and capture six million tons of CO2e through our feedstock, for a total reduction of 45Mtons of greenhouse gas emissions globally.
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Keratin Nails