BIO-BASED NAIL TIPS

Abstract

A nail tip includes an integrally layered plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, at least the bottom surface including a texture on the microscale including a plurality of ridges, and a contour at a proximal end and a distal end, the contour having a rounded edge at the proximal end and a free edge at the distal end having a complex shape.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/495,853 filed Apr. 13, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a nail-care system including bio-based customizable nail tips and methods of producing and using the same.

BACKGROUND

Press on nails, also called nail tips, are fingernail-shaped plastic pieces that are often pre-decorated and are glued to the natural nails using cyanoacrylate glue or other types of adhesive. Many people like press on nails because they are inexpensive, come in beautiful designs, and can be applied at home.

SUMMARY

In one or more embodiments, a nail tip system is disclosed. The system may include a set of customized contoured nail tips comprising a plant-based resin/plastic, at least some of the nail tips having a bottom surface including lines, indentations, or raised portions mimicking a surface of a nail plate. The system may also include at least one of a nail adhesive, a coating composition, and nail stickers. The nail tips may have a free edge having a customized contour. The nail tips may further include a top surface having one or more indentations, raised portions integral to the nail tips, or both.

In at least one embodiment, a nail tip is disclosed. The nail tip includes an integrally layered plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, at least the bottom surface including a texture on the microscale including a plurality of ridges; and a contour at a proximal end and a distal end, the contour having a rounded edge at the proximal end and a free edge at the distal end having a complex shape. The top surface may include a texture on the microscale and an additional texture on the millimeter scale. The top surface may include a set of identically shaped recesses spaced apart from one another. The top surface may include a set of identical indentations extending through an entire depth of the plate. The top surface may include a set of raised portions regularly spaced throughout the plate. The complex shape may include a contour of a flower petal. The plate may include a UV-curable soy-based plastic.

In an alternative embodiment, a nail tip system is disclosed. The system may include a set of customizable contoured nail tips having a plant-based resin/plastic. At least some of the nail tips may have a bottom surface including a first texture and a top surface including a second texture. The first texture may have a plurality of regularly spaced apart intermittent ridges measuring about 50-100 μm each. The second texture may include a pattern of protrusions, recesses, indentations, or a combination thereof on a millimeter scale. The first texture may also include a plurality of formations corresponding to nail plate structures of a user. The second texture may include a set of identical recesses spaced apart from one another. The resin/plastic may have elongation at yield point of at least about 5.54%+−10% according to ASTM D638. The nail tip system may also include at least one of a nail adhesive, a coating composition, and nail stickers. The nail tips may have a free edge having a customized contour including a complex shape.

In yet another embodiment, a plant-based nail tip is disclosed. The nail tip may include a soy-based 3D printed material with elongation at yield point of at least about 5.54%+−10%, according to ASTM D638. The material may be shaped into a layered nail plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, at least one of the top and bottom surfaces having an intermittent pattern of ridges on the microscale throughout an entirety of the surface. The top surface may include a plurality of indentations extending through an entire depth of the plate. The nail tip may also include a contour having a free edge at a distal end with a complex shape. The top surface may include the intermittent ridges pattern on a microscale and an additional texture on a millimeter scale. The first texture may also include a plurality of formations corresponding to nail plate structures of a user. The nail tips may be bio-based and bio-degradable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a non-limiting example of nail tips according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a non-limiting example of a nail-care system according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein;

FIGS. 3A-3D show non-limiting examples of nail tips with custom-shaped free edges;

FIG. 4 shows a non-limiting example of a nail tip with indentations and integral raised portions in the top surface;

FIG. 5A is a photograph of a top surface of a nail tip according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein;

FIG. 5B shows a zoomed-in photograph of a top surface of a nail tip, showing a texture of ridges, according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein; and

FIG. 5C shows a comparative top surface of a traditional nail tip with a smooth, texture-free surface at the same magnification as FIG. 5A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments may take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures may be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.

Except in the examples, or where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction and/or use are to be understood as modified by the word “about” in describing the broadest scope of the disclosure. Practice within the numerical limits stated is generally preferred. Also, unless expressly stated to the contrary: percent, “parts of,” and ratio values are by weight; the description of a group or class of materials as suitable or preferred for a given purpose in connection with the disclosure implies that mixtures of any two or more of the members of the group or class are equally suitable or preferred; description of constituents in chemical terms refers to the constituents at the time of addition to any combination specified in the description, and does not necessarily preclude chemical interactions among the constituents of a mixture once mixed.

The first definition of an acronym or other abbreviation applies to all subsequent uses herein of the same abbreviation and applies mutatis mutandis to normal grammatical variations of the initially defined abbreviation. Unless expressly stated to the contrary, measurement of a property is determined by the same technique as previously or later referenced for the same property.

It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular form “a,” “an,” and “the” comprise plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, reference to a component in the singular is intended to comprise a plurality of components.

As used herein, the term “substantially,” “generally,” or “about” means that the amount or value in question may be the specific value designated or some other value in its neighborhood. Generally, the term “about” denoting a certain value is intended to denote a range within +/−5% of the value. As one example, the phrase “about 100” denotes a range of 100+/−5, i.e. the range from 95 to 105. Generally, when the term “about” is used, it can be expected that similar results or effects according to the disclosure can be obtained within a range of +/−5% of the indicated value. The term “substantially” may modify a value or relative characteristic disclosed or claimed in the present disclosure. In such instances, “substantially” may signify that the value or relative characteristic it modifies is within +0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% or 10% of the value or relative characteristic.

It should also be appreciated that integer ranges explicitly include all intervening integers. For example, the integer range 1-10 explicitly includes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Similarly, the range 1 to 100 includes 1, 2, 3, 4, . . . , 97, 98, 99, 100. Similarly, when any range is called for, intervening numbers that are increments of the difference between the upper limit and the lower limit divided by 10 can be taken as alternative upper or lower limits. For example, if the range is 1.1. to 2.1 the following numbers 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, and 2.0 can be selected as lower or upper limits. Similarly, whenever listing integers are provided herein, it should also be appreciated that the listing of integers explicitly includes ranges of any two integers within the listing.

In the examples set forth herein, concentrations, temperature, and reaction conditions (e.g., pressure, pH, flow rates, etc.) can be practiced with plus or minus 50 percent of the values indicated rounded to or truncated to two significant figures of the value provided in the examples. In a refinement, concentrations, temperature, and reaction conditions (e.g., pressure, pH, flow rates, etc.) can be practiced with plus or minus 30 percent of the values indicated rounded to or truncated to two significant figures of the value provided in the examples. In another refinement, concentrations, temperature, and reaction conditions (e.g., pressure, pH, flow rates, etc.) can be practiced with plus or minus 10 percent of the values indicated rounded to or truncated to two significant figures of the value provided in the examples.

As used herein, the term “and/or” means that either all or only one of the elements of said group may be present. For example, “A and/or B” means “only A, or only B, or both A and B”. In the case of “only A,” the term also covers the possibility that B is absent, i.e. “only A, but not B”.

It is also to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments and methods described below, as specific components and/or conditions may, of course, vary. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is used only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to be limiting in any way.

The term “comprising” is synonymous with “including,” “having,” “containing,” or “characterized by.” These terms are inclusive and open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. The term “including” or “includes” may encompass the phrases “comprise,” “consist of,” or “essentially consist of.”

The phrase “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim. When this phrase appears in a clause of the body of a claim, rather than immediately following the preamble, it limits only the element set forth in that clause; other elements are not excluded from the claim as a whole.

The phrase “consisting essentially of” limits the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps, plus those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed subject matter.

With respect to the terms “comprising,” “consisting of,” and “consisting essentially of,” where one of these three terms is used herein, the presently disclosed subject matter can include the use of either of the other two terms.

The term “one or more” means “at least one” and the term “at least one” means “one or more.” The terms “one or more” and “at least one” include “plurality” as a subset.

The description of a group or class of materials as suitable for a given purpose in connection with one or more embodiments implies that mixtures of any two or more of the members of the group or class are suitable. Also, the description of a group or class of materials as suitable for a given purpose in connection with one or more embodiments implies that the group or class of materials can “comprise,” “consist of,” and/or “consist essentially of” any member or the entirety of that group or class of materials. First definition of an acronym or other abbreviation applies to all subsequent uses herein of the same abbreviation and applies mutatis mutandis to normal grammatical variations of the initially defined abbreviation. Unless expressly stated to the contrary, measurement of a property is determined by the same technique as previously or later referenced for the same property.

Throughout history, people's interest in art, decorating, and attractive looks have resulted in development of various beauty technologies including application of nail art, polishes, artificial nails, etc. to enhance the look of one's nails. In time, it has also become important to provide beauty products, especially those directly applied to a human or animal body, having minimal toxicity and being environmentally friendly.

Currently, majority of the nail product lines utilize non-renewable resources. Additionally, many of the traditional nail polish components and nail tips may cause allergic reactions, dermatitis, eye irritation, and even more serious health issues such as kidney and nervous system damage. Since nail beauty products are being used by many children, pregnant women, as well a large percentage of adult population, there is a strong need for development of safer and more environmentally-friendly nail beautification system.

Nail tips are fingernail-shaped plastic pieces that may be pre-decorated and glued to the natural nails typically using cyanoacrylate glue or pressure-sensitive adhesives. Nail tips can either be applied to the entire nail (full nail tips) or may be applied to the tip of the nail to extend the length (partial nail tips). Nail tips that cover the nail fully and are predecorated are often called “press on nails” and can either be applied with cyanoacrylate glue, a pressure sensitive adhesive, or other adhesive.

Different tips for different uses can have different structures such as including an indented well for tips that extend the length of the nail for easy application. Many nail enhancement consumers find nail tips appealing because they are inexpensive, full tips can be pre-decorated in beautiful designs without the need for a nail artist to spend their costly time decorating the natural nail, are relatively easy to apply, and can make the nail look very smooth without having to spend the time required for other types of enhancements to achieve the same aesthetic. Nail tips are commonly made out of injection molded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic due to the low cost and durability of the material, and designs may be applied to decorate the tip using standard printing processes at a low cost.

One of the drawbacks of using full nail tips is that if the size or curvature of a tip does not closely match the natural nail, it can look unnatural on the fingers due to the dimensional mismatch. Additionally, poorly-fitting tips may cause pain if they dig into the skin or bend and damage the natural nail underneath if they are not applied correctly. Though designs can be printed on full nail tips using commercial printing methods, tips used to extend the length of the nail always require an overlay of another enhancement product as traditional nail polishes do not adhere to standard ABS plastic. This may require a lengthy process of blending the tip and applying acrylic, dip powder, or builder or polygel overlays that almost always require skill, and therefore need to be performed by a nail technician, which can be costly.

An additional drawback is that ABS plastic is derived from petrochemicals and nail tips are thus typically not recycled. Hence, this type of nail enhancements is not sourced from renewable materials. Yet consumers are increasingly interested in products that are designed from renewable materials, that are ideally biodegradable, to minimize the accumulation of microplastics in the environment as the potential adverse health effects of the accumulated microplastics in the environment and bioaccumulation in animals and humans is of increasing concern to consumers.

Accordingly, there is a need for safer, more environmentally friendly and/or sustainable nail beauty products.

In one or more embodiments, a nail-care or nail beautification system is disclosed. The system may include a press-on nail system. The system may be a press-on beauty nail system. The system may include one or more components. The components may include nail tips, an adhesive, a coating composition, stickers, or a combination thereof. The one or more components may be bio-based, bio-derived, plant-based, bio-degradable, or a combination thereof. At least some of the components, or all of the components, may be bio-based, bio-derived, plant-based, bio-degradable, or a combination thereof. A non-limiting example of the nail tips 10 is shown in FIG. 1. A non-limiting example of the system 100 having example nail tips 10, an adhesive 12, a coating composition 14, and nail stickers 16 is shown in FIG. 2.

The nail tips may include one or more pieces or plates structured to be applied over or on a nail, specifically on a nail plate. The nail tip piece or plate may be generally flat with a slight curvature throughout its length, yet malleable to adjust to a user's nail plate. The curvature may have a concave shape. The tips are solid, relatively thin with substantially the same thickness throughout the entirety of the nail tip.

The nail tips may cover the entire nail or a portion of a nail. For example, the nail tips may be applied to the edge portion of the nail, distal edge, or free edge to extend the length. The nail tips may be structured to cover a nail from its proximal end to the distal end or beyond.

The shape of the nail tip may be customized. The customization may relate to its edges, sides, and/or surfaces. The nail tip may be fingernail-like with a rectangular base having a first and second end. The first end is the end to be applied by a person's cuticle at the proximal nail fold, at the eponychium. The second end is an end to be applied at the distal edge of a person's nail.

The shapes of the first and second end may be different or the same. The first end may be rounded or straight. The second end may be shaped as an oval, almond, square, squoval, stiletto/pointed, round, U-shaped, coffin/ballerina shaped, or the like. The edges may be uniform, or non-uniform, parallel, or nor parallel.

The nail tips may be structured to have a free edge at the second end. A free edge may be an edge or nail tip border shaped into a configuration of a custom shape. A free edge is a nail portion that extends beyond the finger and is typically shaped as a square or oval. However, the herein-disclosed nail tip may have a non-typical shape or border. The shape can be customized such that it can be regular or irregular, symmetrical, or asymmetrical. The free edge may complement a shape of a design which may be provided on the nail tip. A non-limiting example shape of the free edge may be a complex or simple shape and may include a wave, heart, be convex, multi-convex, gothic, hammersmith, dove tail, trapezoidal, flower petal, the like, or a combination thereof. The shape may include a portion of a flower such as a tops of petals, object such as a crown, animal ears, mountain top, sun rays, or any other image contour a customer desires. The custom-shaped free edge may be filed or may be non-fillable.

In one or more embodiments, any portion of the nail tip may have a unique or customizable contour such that the customizable contour of the nail tip is not limited to the free edge. The free edge may include a complex shape. The term “complex” refers to a plurality of protrusions, indentations, angles, or their combination together resulting in an appearance of an object such as a flower, flower petals, crown, animal ears, features of an animal face such as fox face, etc. The term “complex” does not refer to simple, common shapes such as a single point, flat edge, rounded edge, square edge, etc.

Non-limiting examples of customized free edges with a complex shape are shown in FIGS. 3A-3D. As can be seen in FIG. 3A, the free edge 20 of the nail tip 10 is shaped as a top portion of a heart, the shape contour having the same contour as an image provided on the nail tip. In FIG. 3B, the free edge 20 is shaped as petal edges of a lotus flower. In FIG. 3C, the free edge is shaped as a crown outline. In FIG. 3D, the nail tip contour incorporates the shape of ears and whiskers of a fox. Hence, not only the free edge 20, but additional portions 22, such as sides, of the nail tip include a custom contour.

Each nail tip may have a top surface and a bottom surface. Either or both surfaces may be flat or have a curvature or indentations. The top and bottom surfaces may have the same or different shape, roughness, or other properties. For example, the top surface may be substantially smooth, having a sleek, even surface, suitable for additional applications of a coating or stickers. The bottom surface may be the surface structured to be adhered to a user's nail plate.

The bottom surface may be contoured as the nail plate's surface, thus including blemishes, raised portions, indentations, lines, undulations, and any other imperfections of the nail plate forming a first texture. The bottom surface may thus have an indentation in the shape of a person's nail plate morphology. The nail tips may be custom shaped to mimic or match a surface curvature of a person's nail plate. For example, an entire nail tip or the bottom surface may be contoured as a nail plate, having minor dents, raised portions, indentations, the like, or a combination thereof. The contour may enable a high quality fit. Such nail tips may thus adhere better after application than generic, traditional nail tips. The close fit of a custom produced nail tip may ensure better adhesion, minimize the occurrence of lift off, provide for a better visual result, or a combination thereof. The first texture of the bottom surface of the nail tip is texture on the micrometer scale. The texture may include formations such as ridges, indentations, valleys, trenches, peaks, etc. The formations may be intermittent, occasional, not continuous, or continuous. The formations may measure about 50 to several hundred μm each. The first texture may be irregular, variable, non-symmetrical.

Alternatively, or in addition, the first texture may include a regular pattern of ridges to improve adhesion and lower the amount of glue needed for proper adhesion of the nail tip or a user's nail plate. The same type of first texture may be provided on the top surface to improve adhesion of the nail polish or nail gel. A non-limiting example of the ridges is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. A comparative example of a traditional ABS nail tip top surface, free of any ridges, is shown in FIG. 5C. The traditional nail tip with smooth top surface typically requires roughening, for example, by a solvent which damages the plastic irregularly.

Additionally still, the nail may be structured to form an integral layered product. The application of layers may be conducted at an angle to cause formation of the ridges. The layers may form concentric circles or ovals, as shown in FIG. 5A. The transition between layers may be seamless. The pattern of ridges may be provided in each layer, thus ensuring that the nail tip has roughened surface on the microscale throughout its length and width, aiding to the quality of adhesion.

The top surface of the nail tip may include one or more raised portions and/or indentations forming a second texture. The indentations and/or raised portions may have regular or irregular shapes, regular or irregular dimensions such as depth or height. The indentations may be partial or complete cut-outs, have uniform or non-uniform depth. The indentations may extend through the entire depth of the nail tip, thus forming a cavity in the nail tip. Alternatively, the indentations may extend into a depth of the nail tip partially, forming a recess. The second texture of the top surface of the nail tip is texture on the millimeter scale. In other words, the one or more raised portions and/or indentations may have length or diameter of about 1-200 mm, 10-150 mm, or 20-100 mm. The length or diameter may be about, at least about, or at most about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150, 155, 160, 165, 170, 175, 180, 185, 190, 195, or 200 mm. The first texture may be regular, symmetrical, or both.

The top surface may thus include a first texture on the microscale and the second texture on the millimeter scale.

The surface of the raised portions may have uniform or non-uniform smoothness or roughness. The raised portions may form an integral part of the nail tips such that there are no seams between the raised portions and the nail tips surface. The nail tips with the raised portions are thus free of any substance attaching the raised portions to the nail tips surface such as an adhesive.

In a non-limiting example of FIG. 4, a nail tip 10 features a top surface 21 with heart-shaped indentations 24 and heart-shaped raised portions 26. The raised portions 26 have varying height and smooth surface.

Additionally still, when the nail is structured to form an integral layered product, the top surface may also include a texture on the microscale, including ridges. The microscale texture aids in adhesion of a nail polish or nail gel.

The layers may form concentric circles or ovals, as shown in FIG. 5A. The transition between layers may be seamless. The pattern of ridges may be provided in each layer, thus ensuring that the nail tip has roughened surface on the microscale throughout its length and width, aiding to the quality of adhesion.

The system may include one or more sets of the nail tips. Each set may include nail tips of various sizes such as widths, lengths, or both. Each set may include nail tips customized for each finger nail tip of a customer. For example, each set may include a nail tip for a thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger. Nail tips for toenails are also contemplated. For example, a set may include a nail tip for a big toe, index toe, middle toe, fourth toe, and little toe.

The nail tips may be made from a resin. The resin may be bio-based, plant-based, bio-degradable, or a combination thereof. The resin may be UV curable. The resin may be formulated from a combination of acrylated vegetable oils such as a soy-based acrylate, functionalized soy esters, acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO), acrylated linseed oil (ALO), plant-based reactive diluents such as isobornyl methacrylate, lauryl acrylate, stearyl acrylate, a photoinitiator such as TPO, or a combination thereof. Additionally, plant-based urethane acrylate oligomers may be used.

The resin should have adequate mechanical properties for acceptable nail tip durability of at least about 1-2 week wear lifetime (the tip should not bend or break under typical use scenarios) and adhesion to the nail plate, coating, stickers, or a combination thereof. The resin may have tensile strength, according to ASTM D638 of about 30-35 MPa such as 32.43+−10% MPa, tensile modulus of about at least 420 such as 424.97+−10%, and elongation at yield point of at least about 5% such as 5.54+−10%.

Alternatively, the nail tips may be extrudates. The nail tips may be fabricated using an extrusion 3D printing method using a plant-based thermoplastic. For example, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is a polymer that may be derived from a plant-based material and may be used in extrusion based 3D printing methods. Other plant-based thermoplastics that may be used for extrusion type 3D printing include polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), or blends of any of the thermoplastics.

Alternatively still, the UV curable resin may be used to create nail tips that are cast through a clear mold. In this manufacturing method, UV curable resin formulated similarly to the 3D printing resin described previously may be injected into a UV transparent mold and flood cured with a UV light. This manufacturing method may be less expensive and less time consuming than the 3D printing method.

The nail tips may be injection molded using plant-based thermoplastics. Similarly to the extrusion 3D printing method, nonlimiting examples of the suitable thermoplastics could be PLA, PHA, PHB, or blends thereof.

The system may include an adhesive structured to apply the nail tips to a customer's nail plates. A plant-based adhesive may be used. The plant-based adhesive may be a plant-based cyanoacrylate glue or a plant-based pressure sensitive adhesive.

The coating composition may be a nail polish coating composition. The coating composition may be a gel polish coating composition. The coating composition may be plant-based, bio-based, bio-degradable. The coating composition may be structured to be applied onto the nail plates, nail tips, over nail stickers, or a combination thereof. The coating composition may be applied onto the nail tips to form a coating having one or more layers. The coating may include a decorative layer and a top clear layer. The coating may feature different materials, colors, designs. The coating composition may be adherable to the material the nail tips are made from. The coating composition in combination with the nail tips thus offers an advantage that the traditional ABS nail tips lack-adherability of coating compositions onto its surface.

As such, the coating is configured to adhere to the resins named herein. The coating may be configured to adhere to additional plastic materials such as ABS. The adherence may be for a predetermined period of time such as 1-2 weeks, corresponding to a typical length of nail tip wear by a consumer.

In one or more embodiments, the system may include nail stickers. The nail stickers may be semi-cured stickers. The nail stickers may be flexible. The stickers may differ from traditional nail stickers by containing a relatively thick film of partially cured UV curable material. Once a sticker is placed on a nail plate or a nail tip, the sticker may be trimmed to a desired shape and size and subsequently fully cured and hardened with UV light. The nail stickers may adhere to the nail plate or nail tip for a predetermined period of time such as 1-2 weeks, corresponding to a typical length of nail tip wear by a consumer.

Traditional nail stickers are made from vinyl. The nail stickers disclosed herein may be made from plant-based, bio-based, biodegradable materials. Another advantage of the herein-disclosed semi-cured nail stickers is that they are typically more durable than vinyl nail stickers and often last longer.

A method of making the nail tips is disclosed herein. The method may include collecting information from a consumer about their nails to produce a customized nail tip set. The information may include dimensional information, nail size, nail shape, nail irregularities. The collecting may be performed digitally via photographs, scanning, physical measuring, molding, or a combination thereof. The method may include using a resin to form the nail tips. The method may utilize 3D printing, extruding, injection molding, or a combination thereof to form the resin into the customizable nail tips.

In a non-limiting example, the method may include 3D printing the nail tips with curing provided by UV light. The application and curing may be conducted layer by layer, in other words, a first layer is applied then cured before a subsequent layer is applied over the first layer. The method may include printing each layer at an angle resulting in the microscale texture on the bottom surface, top surface, or both of each nail tip, as described above.

A method of using the components of the system disclosed herein is disclosed. The method may include cleaning a nail plate, applying a customized nail tip onto the nail plate, adhering the nail tip onto the nail plate, curing the adhesive, applying a nail sticker onto the nail plate or nail tip, applying a coating composition in one or more layers onto the nail tip, nail sticker, or both, drying the coating composition, the like, or a combination thereof.

EXAMPLES

Example 1 and Comparative Example 1

Example 1 included a set of 3D-printed, UV cured nail tips with microscale texture created using light cure 3D printing technique. The resin was a plant-based soybean oil. Comparative Example 1 included ABS based nail tips. Various properties of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were compared and averages are provided below. The goal was to verify superior properties of Example 1 in comparison to the traditional ABS nail tips. Results are shown in Table 1. Test method used was ASTM D638.

TABLE 1
comparison of properties of Example
1 and Comparative Example 1
			Comparative
	Property	Example 1	Example 1
	Elongation at break [%]	15.7-19.2	5.4-21
	Elongation at yield [%]	4.99-6.01	1.8-1.9
	Tensile strength [MPa]	29.19-35.67	31.3-33.1

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on specific application and implementation. These attributes can include, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such to the extent any such embodiments are described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics, these embodiments are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.

Claims

1. A nail tip comprising:

an integrally layered plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, at least the bottom surface including a texture on the microscale including a plurality of ridges; and a contour at a proximal end and a distal end, the contour having a rounded edge at the proximal end and a free edge at the distal end having a complex shape.

2. The nail tip of claim 1, wherein the top surface includes a texture on the microscale and an additional texture on the millimeter scale.

3. The nail tip of claim 1, wherein the top surface includes a set of identically-shaped recesses spaced apart from one another.

4. The nail tip of claim 1, wherein the top surface includes a set of identical indentations extending through an entire depth of the plate.

5. The nail tip of claim 1, wherein the top surface includes a set of raised portions regularly spaced throughout the plate.

6. The nail tip of claim 1, wherein the complex shape includes a contour of a flower petal.

7. The nail tip of claim 1, wherein the plate includes a UV-curable soy-based plastic.

8. A nail tip system including:

a set of customizable contoured nail tips comprising a plant-based resin/plastic, at least some of the nail tips having a bottom surface including a first texture and a top surface including a second texture, the first texture having a plurality of regularly spaced apart intermittent ridges measuring about 50-100 μm each.

9. The nail tip system of claim 8, wherein the second texture includes a pattern of protrusions, recesses, indentations, or a combination thereof on a millimeter scale.

10. The nail tip system of claim 8, wherein the first texture further includes a plurality of formations corresponding to nail plate structures of a user.

11. The nail tip system of claim 8, wherein the second texture includes a set of identical recesses spaced apart from one another.

12. The nail tip system of claim 8, wherein the resin/plastic has elongation at yield point of at least about 5.54%+−10% according to ASTM D638.

13. The nail tip system of claim 8, further comprising at least one of a nail adhesive, a coating composition, and nail stickers.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the nail tips have a free edge having a customized contour including a complex shape.

15. A plant-based nail tip comprising:

a soy-based 3D printed material with elongation at yield point of at least about 5.54%+−10%, according to ASTM D638, shaped into a layered nail plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, at least one of the top and bottom surfaces having an intermittent pattern of ridges on the microscale throughout an entirety of the surface.

16. The nail tip of claim 15, wherein the top surface includes a plurality of indentations extending through an entire depth of the plate.

17. The nail tip of claim 15, the nail tip further including a contour having a free edge at a distal end with a complex shape.

18. The nail tip of claim 15, wherein the top surface includes the intermittent ridges pattern on a microscale and an additional texture on a millimeter scale.

19. The nail tip of claim 15, wherein the first texture further includes a plurality of formations corresponding to nail plate structures of a user.

20. The nail tip of claim 15, wherein the nail tips are bio-based and bio-degradable.