Background

A new nail strengthening cream was developed primarily for use by classical guitarists who need strong natural fingernails, without using solvents, nail polish, glues, gels, acrylics or other artificial coatings. The cream uses a number of active ingredients including a blend of hydrolysed keratins from sheep’s wool intended to absorb into the fingernail and cross-link keratin fibres within the nail, so making the existing nail stronger and less brittle. This was first tested in a novel laboratory testing system involving test nails made from keratin derived from sheep’s wool and exerting standard force to these test nails. This testing showed that the cream increased test nail strength by 30% after 10 days, compared to an untreated control group. This cream was then brought forward for consumer preference testing.