Best Odorless Monomers- Pros, Cons, Is it Safer & Better
Acrylic nails are well known for their strong pungent scent during application. Now, this odor comes mainly from the liquid acrylic monomer.
And one of the best ways I have found to reduce the amount of acrylic fumes and odor is to use odorless monomers.
That’s why in this article, I am going to share with you some of the best brands of odorless monomers and answer some of the questions you might have about them.
What are Odorless Acrylic Nail Monomers
Odorless monomers are acrylic liquids that have a very low scent profile. They tend to have a milder and not-so-strong scent when compared to the regular acrylic liquid used to apply acrylic nails.
The first thing you need to know is that odorless monomers are usually not completely free of odor or scent. It is almost impossible to have a monomer that has no scent.
Now how much the monomer will smell will vary with each brand of monomer since different brands use different formulas.
Odorless monomers tend to evaporate more slowly and are made of EMA (Ethyl methacrylate) which has less odor and is much safer and better than monomers made of MMA (Methyl methacrylate).
To learn more about What is Acrylic Monomer, click here.
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Odorless vs Regular Monomer – Is it Just as Effective
Yes, odorless acrylic monomers are just as effective as regular acrylic liquid and they will work with most brands of acrylic powder.
I personally use odorless monomers especially when I am applying acrylic nails at home and I don’t want my entire house to smell like a nail salon.
Now the difference with odorless monomers is that they will have less odor, and they take longer to cure and harden when compared to regular monomers.
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Best Odorless Acrylic Nail Monomers
The best odorless monomers when applying acrylic nails are:
- Young Nails Monomer (A premium really nice low-odor monomer)
- Mia Secret Odorless monomer (A very low odor monomer that requires a UV LED lamp to set)
1- Young Nails Monomer
Young Nails Low Odor Monomer is one of my favorite monomers to use. Not only does it have a low odor but it also has a nice setting time meaning it doesn’t harden too fast or too slow.
This makes it an easy-to-use monomer. The scent can be described as a very mild monomer odor and will quickly dissipate within 10 to 15 minutes. Compared to other brands where their odor can take hours to move away.
Young Nails monomers also don’t contain any MMA and instead are made of EMA.
Where to Get Young Nail Monomer
Young Nails is a premium brand so they are a bit pricey but I think they are worth it.
You can click here to see the current price for a bottle on Amazon.
Or you can check out their website here.
2- Mia Secret UV Fusion Odorless Monomer
Mia Secret has one of the lowest-odor monomers on the market. But the catch is that it requires a UV-Led nail lamp to fully cure.
The monomer will work on most brands of acrylic powder and turn it into a thick gel-like bead but to fully harden and set it you would need to cure it under a nail lamp.
I think Mia Secret UV Monomer is ideal if you are a beginner to acrylic nails. This is because it won’t completely harden unless exposed to a UV-Led Nail lamp this allows you to take your time to sculpt out the nails which can be tricky when you are now getting started.
Mia Secret Fusion monomer tends to have a very mild sweet fragrant scent You can click here to see the price for the Mia Secret UV Monomer on Amazon.
Benefits of Odorless Monomer
- Very low or almost nonexistent scent profile
- Easier to Use – since odorless monomer takes a bit longer to harden this allows you more time to sculpt your extensions. Making it perfect for beginners.
- Uses less liquid monomer – odorless monomer tends to hold onto the acrylic powder better so you won’t need to use so much liquid when compared with regular liquid monomer
Related Article – How Acrylic Ruin Your Nails & Tips to Prevent Damages
Drawbacks of Odorless Acrylic Monomers
Now the main issues with odorless monomers are:
- Have a longer setting time – meaning they take a bit longer to harden and dry when compared to regular acrylic liquid-monomer meaning slower application time.
- Some brands of odorless monomer will dry with a tacky-wet layer – which needs to be wiped off with a cotton pad soaked in warm water or filed away.
- More expensive than regular monomers. This is why most salons don’t really use them.
- Increases the application time for the manicure – by using odorless monomer the acrylic beads will tend to take longer to dry and set.
Related Article – Acrylic Nails turn Yellow or Brown: Causes & How to Fix
Are Odorless Acrylic Nail Monomer Safer
Odorless monomers tend to be safer to use this is because:
- Odorless monomers are usually made of EMA which is safer than MMA. And MMA can be dangerous to your health.
- Less odor means less fumes to be inhaled. Constantly inhaling large amounts of acrylic odor can be very irritating to your lungs and can pose health hazards – which is why I recommend wearing masks during application for both the technicians and clients.
I have a whole article on the health risks of getting acrylic nails and How you can avoid some of the risks, click here to read.
Video Comparing Odorless Monomer to Regular Monomer & How to Use
Who Should Use Odorless Monomers
Odorless monomers are perfect for:
- Individuals now starting to learn how to apply acrylic nails – longer setting time allows you to take your time and not be rushed
- Applying acrylic nails in rooms that are not well-ventilated – but I still recommend wearing masks and opening windows when working with acrylic nails
Related Article – Gel vs Acrylic Nails – Which One Is Right For You
Tip to make nail monomers not smell
Now you can’t really get rid of acrylic odor, especially from regular acrylic monomer but you can help to change the scent by using monomer odorizing drops.
These drops are applied when you pour the monomer out into your container. They work to change the scent of the odor and to some extent reduce it.
Mia Secret has a nice cherry-scented one, you can click here to see the price for a bottle on Amazon.
Some other great tips to reduce the odor are:
- Do acrylic application in a well-ventilated room
- Wear masks during the application
- And you can also keep baking powder in a container on your working desk. The baking powder will help to absorb the acrylic odor.