Photo credit: Beautylish which no longer stocks the line
Have you heard? The award-winning “five free” nail color line, RGB Cosmetics, has literally vanished without advance notification…to anyone. The buzz has already rocked the #nailfie-loving world. But for the rest of us, the nail-biting news is just starting to hit home. For a brand celebrated as the savvy fashionista’s healthier alternative to conventional polishes, this is huge blow that leaves many of us asking who will fill their niche in this undersaturated beauty category?
Launched by Gina Carney in 2009, RGB Cosmetics prided itself on its minimalist appeal, as well as on the removal of the five big toxic chemicals: formaldehyde, formaldehyde-resin, DBP, camphor, and toluene. It was also vegan, cruelty-free, and made in the USA. Oh! And did I mention chic? So chic. The letters RGB in the name represent the red, green, and blue colors that mix together to form all other colors—and what a selection there was!
Devoted fans will surely miss the mod polish which stayed current by offering seasonal hues inspired by runway trends, giving it a competitive edge over other brands. That may be why the line appealed to a broad fan base from celebrities and mainstream stylists to green beauty advocates.
What put the brand on the map was its 2010 collaboration with Clean Beauty Expert Jenna Hipp to create HIPPxRGB, the “Nail Foundation” and “Nail Tint” Collections, the first ever skin-tone specific collection to offer a range of nudes in four custom blended shades from light to dark. The nude collection eventually expanded to include an assortment of whisper sheer hues to more opaque tints to match nearly every skin tone. (Way to embrace diversity in beauty!)
In addition to nail color, RGB offers—offered?!—nail care providing natural alternatives to those of conventional nail color removers and treatments.
It’s no wonder the line earned coveted features in Vogue, W Magazine, Allure, and The Today Show and snapped up awards like Allure Best in Beauty, NYLON Beauty Award, Essence Best in Black Beauty Awards, and Elle Magazine Genius Awards. With such rapid-fire success, it did not look like the company would be shutting down any time soon.
So, where has RGB gone?
The screenshot above displays the only message left on the brand’s website. You can check it out for yourself here. The sudden disappearance baffled shop owners like Jennifer Freitas, founder of The Truth Beauty Company which carries the popular line. It was her post in the Green Beauty Insiders group on Sunday, September 4th that sounded the alert.
I have been waiting a very long time and have emailed many times and received no replies. I have DM’d [direct messaged] them on Instagram… and nothing. In fact, I think they deleted all their posts!”
She’s not the only stockist who is seeking answers. By the looks of the brand’s Instagram page, fans and shop owners alike have been left stranded, deprived of the colors they know and love. Here’s the only photo that’s left on the account—bewildering their 11.2 K followers.
Jennifer also noticed an odd Instagram photo that had been posted a few weeks ago tagging Khloe Kardashian with a message about a new director, but that post has since been removed.
The Twitter situation isn’t any different. Once again, as you can see from the screenshot below, it looks like the account has been removed.
At this point, any guesses as to what happened to the line are mere speculation. If you love the assortment of shades, it may be time to stock up on your favorites, since there’s no telling how long they will be available. Beautylish is no longer selling the nail polish, though it shows up on the site, however you can still find it on Net-A-Porter and Beautybar.
Of course, it begs to be stated that there are no truly natural, organic, non-toxic, or eco-friendly nail polishes. By virtue of their need to actually adhere to the nail, chemicals that are anything but natural must be incorporated into the formula. For the eco-conscious consumer, that means it’s important not to take the three-free’s, five-free’s, or even the seven-free’s as the gospel. They are a “less bad” option of a not-so-eco beauty habit. There are lots of discussions on this topic—including one here from Fig+Sage in 2011 that makes for a good read. The closest I’ve found to a decent odor-free option is the peel-off polish Little Ondine (also found on Amazon* and Love Lula*) which contains three ingredients: water, resin, and mineral colorants, and lasts a few days longer than Acquarella, another water-based polish. But Nath, the awesome blogger at Beautycalypse.com found others, so check them out on this post that is updated periodically.
As for solvent-based polishes, RGB certainly made the cut as much for the variety of colors as for its high shine and chip resistance, making its absence felt even stronger. Jennifer added:
Would love to know if they are coming back, otherwise I need a new polish line!”
From the looks of things, she better start hunting.
Are you a fan of RGB Cosmetics?
If you’ve got any clues as to the mysterious disappearance, please let us know in the comments. (Wow! I feel like I just wrapped up an episode of Unsolved Mysteries!) Plus let us know what you love using on your nails. (Yes, going bare is definitely a pick.)
Personally, my fingernails are always polish-free (there’s no point in applying and inevitably having them chip the next day), but my toes do get some color love. My preferences are AILA Cosmetics* (five free), Smith & Cult (eight free), Priti NYC (eight free), Treat Collection* (five free), and more recently Little Ondine thanks to discovering one in a Goodbeing box*. OK. Your turn!
By the way, you’ve got until tonight at midnight (Sept. 5, well, technically at the gong of Sept. 6) to enter my craziest ever giveaway here!
*Affiliate links in post
Great post Sarita! Perhaps, some answers will come of it! It would be such a shame to no longer get RGB; their range of nudes was something I really loved about the line!
I hope so, Jennifer! I loved the nude range too. There was something for everyone. Let’s see what unfolds and hope that this post leads to some answers.
Sarita, have you tried the RMS nail polishes ? They are quite beautiful and non-toxic https://www.rmsbeauty.com/products/nail-polish
Not yet, Elaine, but they’re high on the list of must try brands. Thank you for your recommendation.
I’ve tried a few natural nail lines, among them Aila and Habit, along with RGB. My favorite is Treat Collection. The colors are beautiful and varied and it lasts a long time. I always use a base and top coat. I think that helps any polish last, natural or not.
True that about a base and top coat, Annette. I was going to write about that and then figured that was a tangent on a tangent so I stopped myself. If I remember correctly, the Smith & Cult base + top coat lasted longest of them all.
That’s so strange! What a mystery. I’ve always loved the brand too so I hope they’re not gone for good.
http://www.joyprovisions.com
Me too, Mimi! It just goes to show us that there’s something to be said for giving closure to people. I hope we get answers–especially for the brands who worked with them.
This is so very strange! No notice at all for such a huge disappearance. I don’t wear polish on my fingers, just a shiny top coat perhaps, but also wear polish just on my toes. I have been using 100% Pure polishes!
Ooh! I’ll have to try 100% Pure. Thanks for the recommendation, Ashlynn. XO
Thanks for looking into this! I have another green beauty mystery… is Spirit Beauty Lounge going to be ok? I know they have a few items left in the 30% pre-relaunch sale… but have heard nothing about when/if the relaunch will happen. She was such a pioneer in the eco beauty world I really just hope all is well.
Spirit is truly a pioneer. I have no idea what’s going on. I hope that this shop doesn’t close the way RGB did. Thanks, Sarah, for your comment. Xo
I have been wondering about SBL myself; it was literally the very first green beauty site I ever shopped and oh, how I shopped a lot from there. But it became increasingly hard to get what I needed bc they were always out of stock. I know Spirit is a recent new mom so I hope all is well in that aspect!
Hey Sarita 😉 I’m curious whether or not we’ll know why the brand disappeared under such strange circumstances. Meanwhile, let’s all update our nail polish knowledge base with the first nail polish that got two certifications, both with Natrue (for being natural) and with BDIH/ COSMOS (for being organic) – that by LOGONA. The range is still very limited, and not vegan-friendly, but it’s an interesting development nevertheless. Much love, Nath
P.S. And this is the post that I do my best to keep updated, regarding safe nail polish -> https://beautycalypse.com/2013/05/24/abc-your-guide-to-non-toxic-nail-polish/
This is awesome, Nath! Thank you for your ongoing research on safer nail polish options. It will be exciting to see where this closed door leads…perhaps to cleaner adventures! I’m going to bookmark your post, meanwhile. XO
Ah, thank you, Sarita <3 Actually, I think that the worst parts about nail polish are a) the fact that nails take in chemicals that sit on them, they are by no means "just dead cells" like we are often told and b) that even in big-5-free products, they keep finding horrifying ingredients from time to time (like it happened to Chanel and Butter London some 2 years ago, I believe – they shouldn't have been sold, that's how bad the lab results were; and who knows what ended up in which bottle since, right?). Unfortunately, consumers can't run lab tests for everything! Plus, it's not our job. But that's what we're here for though 😉 To share our findings. XO
I do believe the founder is going through personal problems. I hope she gets better soon and gets back to what she’s great at! <3
Hi Karen! Thanks for letting us know. We wish her well. Still, letting her retail partners know seems to me like the right thing to do, rather than just disappearing. If she wants to come back, it will be harder to rebuild trust, don’t you think? Thanks for the info!
I completely agree with you! It will be a shame for everyone involved.
Sarita, have you tried Trust Fund Beauty? They have a base, polish, top coat and a polish remover
Hi Susi! Not yet, but the brand has been on my radar for a while. Have you tried them?
The news of RGB’s departure is such a shame. RGB was my favorite brand of nail polish – it had such fabulous color consistency, in addition to all the clean formula perks. Hope they come back onto the scene. x
I agree, Jen! They were setting trends in the nail polish space long before 5-free was in vogue. They put it on the map. Fortunately, there are quite a number of 5- and 7-free polishes that are worth exploring so we aren’t left with our nails hanging high and dry. 🙂
Why isn’t this top beauty news? I can’t understand why more people are not talking about this. We had the same experience in our salon that is described in your posted. We were ghosted by RGB!
I don’t know! It’s all very strange, Carla. They’ve vanished and left no word. What a shame.
I have their brand in my salon and it is so hard to get in touch with them. Their website has been like that for a long time but also they had a massive inventory sale not that long ago so maybe you are right!
That’s really disappointing that even the retailers were not informed. It doesn’t bode well for a business. If the founder wants to create another product line, there will be a lot of wary people to deal with. Too bad!
I just received a cyber Monday sale email from RGB, and the site appears to be back up.
Wow! That is good news. I’ll go check it out! Thanks, Sara.
RGB is back! Get on it. Good sale prices, too:)
Yup! Thanks, Becky. I received an email too. I ordered some and am still awaiting delivery. Let’s hope things are back to normal. It seems the social media handles are still down, though.
UPDATE: RGB is back! Hooray!
Anyone else order RGB for 2016 Black Friday sale and still have not received your delivery or a response from customer service? Any ideas what could be going on now?!
Oh no! Did you order, Jen, and not receive it? I received my order but the bottles had black ink on the bottom crossing off the Fl.Oz. amount. It was strange but the polish looks ok. I haven’t used it yet, though! Let me know if you’re having trouble with your order.
I refuse to order anything from them ever again unless I get an explanation of what is going on. Too unreliable and untrustworthy. I can’t believe they would just come back online with no explanation. I hope everyone that has recently ordered gets their orders!f
I heard that jewelry designer J. Hannah will be coming out with a range of non toxic 7-free nail polishes very soon!
I ordered a few items from RGB at the beginning of December and received half of my order, but not the other half. I’ve tried contacting them but to no avail. I read great things about them and was hoping to give them a shot, but they are proving to have terrible customer service.
That happened to me. I had to dispute through PayPal and get my money back that way.
I made the mistake of recently purchasing something from them and I only received half of my order. I paid for stuff I didn’t receive. They are not responding to my inquiries. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.
Thanks for letting us know, Lori. I agree that something odd went down and I wouldn’t trust them either.
RGB came back a few months ago, and all polish was reduced to $9 instead of the usual $18. However, their customer service is nonexistent. It’s as if they are trying to sell off their last stock before they disappear completely. They sent me the wrong color nail polish in Nov. 2016 and after many emails and web-form submissions (the only 2 forms of contact provided on their website), I never heard back. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and went through that entire process. Big surprise, no one from RGB responded to the BBB. I used to think highly of this company, but something sketchy is going on. I’d caution anyone before buying from them even though they are back.
Sorry about your issue with them, Allie. I agree that nobody should shop from them.
Hi, So glad to see this article, because I’ve been scammed by RGB and was wondering what happened to them. I ordered nail polish back in Dec. 2016 and never received my order. I can’t reach anyone at the company (due to there bring no contact info), and I’ve left multiple messages via their website that have never been answered. Their website is up & functioning, and someone is running it because the sale items and other things keep changing. I wonder how many other people have been scammed …. Would love to know if you have any info on this. Great article, thank you!
Hi Holly! I was scammed by RGB as well, and after launching a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau and going through that whole process, the BBB couldn’t get a hold of anyone at RGB either. I therefore contacted my credit card company and had them pull the funds back from RGB to refund my account. Thankfully Discover has much better customer service than RGB. I find it appalling that RGB still operates their website, but all we can do is get the word out that the company is no longer reputable or reliable.
I am having the same problem! I recently placed an order, and only a portion of it arrived. I tried contacting them via the online form and via the email address (email no longer works), but never heard back. I have since opened a dispute via Paypal and hope to receive a refund.