Will the Essie base coat ‘Fill the Gap’ really hydrate nails?
ASK ANA
“Ana what is your take on the Essie base coat ‘Fill the Gap’? It says it’s a treatment, like it’s gunna fix problem nails? Is this true?” ~Sara
ANSWER
Quick answer? Essie’s ‘Fill the Gap’ is a ridge filling base coat. Here’s Essie’s description…
Marketing
“Fill the Gap! Ridge Smoothing Base Coat by Essie hydrates aging nails and smoothes unsightly deep ridges while preventing brittleness and breakage. Replenishes and levels the nail plate with a special blend of strengtheners, conditioners, micro-fibers and natural fillers. Mica boasts natural reflective properties that help fill in extremely deep ridges and conceal imperfections. Yucca, the natural plant extract helps moisturize and reduce inflammation. Creates an ultra-smooth base allowing for maximum adhesion of nail polish.” ~Essie
Long answer? Let’s look at the words chosen to describe this product, especially with the knowledge that healthy, moisturized nails are a perfect blend of 18% water and 5% sebum (body oil).
HYDRATES AGING NAILS: Nope. It’s not water or sebum.
SMOOTHS DEEP RIDGES: I guarantee that this product will probably do a darn fine job!
PREVENTING BRITTLENESS AND BREAKAGE: Only by adding temporary strength like any other brand of base coat. But nails will dry out as soon as you use acetone to remove it. You’ll want to rehydrate them with a tiny bit of water and a jojoba wax ester based nail oil. I have hydration instructions here.
REPLENISHES: Nope
LEVELS THE NAIL PLATE: Yep.
SPECIAL BLEND OF STRENGTHENERS, CONDITIONERS, MICRO-FIBERS AND NATURAL FILLERS: Yep, those are all properties of the polish, not your nails. They’re all necessary to fill in the ridges.
MICA BOASTS NATURAL REFLECTIVE PROPERTIES: It fills space in the low areas of the nail plate and might have a shimmer so your nails look nice with just the base coat.
CONCEAL IMPERFECTIONS: Yep. It will do this very well, like other quality ridge filling base coats.
YUCCA…HELPS MOISTURIZE AND REDUCE INFLAMMATION: Huhhhhh??????
It can’t moisturize your nails. …And reduce inflammation of what? Your nail plates? In all my research, I’ve actually never heard of this. It’s certainly not going to reduce inflammation of your skin since you won’t be applying it on your skin. Right?
ULTRA SMOOTH BASE: Yep, it will do this very well.
MAXIMUM ADHESION OF NAIL POLISH: Yep, all good base coats are formulated to bond to the natural nail plate. Color polishes are formulated to bond to base coat, NOT the natural nail.
The Perfect Mix
What are all those big words in the ingredient list and what do they do?
Polish manufacturers work very hard to combine the perfect ingredients to create the product they want. I’ve often found that the ingredient list doesn’t jive with the marketing claims.
Polish performance has nothing to do with what the product is called; varnish, polish, lacquer, or enamel. The formulation determines the performance, not the name.
For example, formulations with too little plasticizer or too much nitrocellulose will be brittle. Poor coverage usually means the formulation contains too much solvent or doesn’t contain enough titanium dioxide or pigment.
Polish that bubbles easily or has an uneven surface after drying usually contains solvents that evaporate too quickly. Usually bubbling issues are magnified during periods of high temperatures and humidity.
If the polish seems to quickly thicken in the bottle before it is half used, then the formula contains too little solvent. ~Doug Schoon, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry
Essie Base Coat Ingredients
Ethyl Acetate = a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow
Butyl Acetate = a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow
Nitrocellulose = a film former to make the product hard and shiny when it dries
Acetyl Tributyl Citrate = a biodegradable plasticizer of low toxicity, found in nail polish and other cosmetics.
Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer = Film Former; Viscosity Increasing Agent (ewg.org)
Isopropyl Alcohol = a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer = a film former, increases viscosity (TruthInAging.com)
Stearalkonium Hectorite = suspension agent, makes the product easier to use. Keeps the product thick in the bottle but thinner when brushed on.
Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer = blend of resins and plasticizers
Mica = mineral that when combined with titanium dioxide or other colorants create beautiful iridescent shades
Polyethylene = a plasticizer to prevent chips and cracks and increase the flexibility of the polish
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil = Sunflower Seed Oil
CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide = pigment to make the product whiter to improve coverage or produce pastel colors
Synthetic Wax = usually used in car wax products
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) = a thermoplastic polymer that has numerous applications. The best known brand name of PTFE is Teflon byDuPont Co. (Wikipedia)
Citric Acid = The dominant use of citric acid is as a flavoring and preservative in food and beverages, especially soft drinks. The buffering properties of citrates are used to control pH in household cleaners and pharmaceuticals. (Wikipedia)
Yucca Filamentosa / Yucca Filamentosa Extract = an ornamental flowering plant
CI 77491 / Iron Oxides = cosmetic colorant (Ewg.org)
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract / Rosemary Leaf Extract = a decorative plant in gardens and has many culinary and medical uses.
CI 19140 / Yellow 5 Lake = cosmetic colorant
Talc = Causes matte finish
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer (D47300/1) = film former
Polyester Resin = a resin, to make the polish tough and resilient
Hydrated Silica = used to increase the viscosity, or thickness. Usually included in toothpaste formulations. Most likely used to help fill in ridges.
Camphor = a plasticizer to prevent chips and cracks and increase the flexibility of the polish
Stearalkonium = suspension agent, helps reduce product separation
Hectorite = suspension agent, makes the product easier to use. Keeps the product thick in the bottle but thinner when brushed on.
Benzophenone = a UV stabilizer, used to prevent color fading
Titanium Dioxide = pigment to make the product whiter to improve coverage or produce pastel colors
Hydrolyzed Collegen = the fancy word for gelatin. It’s typically used in topical creams, acting as a product texture conditioner, and moisturizer.
In Conclusion
I couldn’t find any reason to use Yucca—especially if it’s supposed to moisturize and reduce inflammation of the nail plate. LOL!!!
Several reviewers like this Essie base coat. One reviewer even said the product smelled good after it was dry!
I’m sure the Essie ‘Fill the Gap’ is an excellent ridge filling base coat, just like many other high quality ridge filling base coats. Just don’t fall for the other marketing lingo. If you’re ever unsure and have a question—just feel free to ask me.
Wow, very geeky and informative. Thanks for debunking the marketing 🙂
You’re very welcome Kirsten! Thanks for stopping by. ~Ana
wow! this is awesome…..thank you for sharing your wisdom/knowledge with us!!
As I live in Scotland and can’t buy your base coat. Can you recommend something that I can buy here? I absolutely love your Simply Pure™ hydrating oil. Even if didn’t work, I would have to buy it, as I am totally addicted to the smell of it! I have just started using it so will give an update soon.
Helen, my apologies for the delay. We aren’t allowed to ship polish internationally since shipping companies consider it a hazardous material…. although I have yet to hear of a bottle of polish blowing up a plane. 🙁
Just look for a ridge filling base coat that has a pale tint. Don’t get one that says it has fibers. They won’t settle into the grooves and will make your nails look furry.
Real Dilemma,
I finally used up all of simply smooth and simply quick , but now what?
Please can you suggest something to use instead until you find a replacement?
I am bummed that I did not order more when I had the chance to.
Loving the oils and crossing my fingers that you will find a replacement for the polishes.
Thanks for making small nail miracles happen <3
We are working hard on finding replacements. We are hoping to have them available again before the end of the year.
Thank you,
Adrienne
Assistant to Ana