It was almost a perfect storm that created a world where sales of artificial nails could surpass nail polish sales. For almost two years consumers had the opportunity to test-run natural nail DIY alternatives due to salon closures and social distancing. And when they did hop on the faux nail train, many were surprised to find out how far they’d come, discovering versions with intricate designs, improved realistic fit, fashionable length options, and longevity. GenZ consumers in particular were intrigued by being able to easily swap out trendy looks.

“During COVID, women looked for salon alternatives and discovered innovation in DIY nail products that allowed them to do manicures at home delivering salon-quality looks. Having fun doing nails with these products not only gave them beautiful manicures, but it also became an important part of self-care and a form of self-expression,” says Margaret Pak, Executive Vice President for Dashing Diva, which markets press-ons and nail strips (stickers) that are sold at Ulta Beauty, CVS, Walmart, Target, and other retailers.

Sales of artificial nails — press-on, glue-on, and stickers — surpassed nail polish sales in the fourth quarter of 2022 ($160 million versus $154 million), according to a NielsenIQ report. While artificial nail sales have been expanding faster than lacquers for the past four years, polish sales have still always landed on top. For 2022 sales of nail polish (led by brands such as Sally Hansen, Essie, LA Color, and OPI) totaled $649 million compared with $581 million for artificial nails. But ongoing trends portend glue and press-on sales will topple polish sales by year-end.

“The artificial nail category saw growth of more than 80% as of May 2023 versus December 2019, just before the pandemic. And while the nail polish category remains strong, the gap between nail polish and artificial nails is becoming narrower, shrinking 16% between 2019 and 2023,” says Andrea Harrison, Vice President of Merchandising Beauty& Personal Care at CVS Health.

Accordingly, CVS is going big in the category. “While we’ve seen a variety of purchase shifts across our business as a result of the pandemic, in beauty specifically we are continuing to see a focus on the DIY trends that became popular while salons were closed and consumers found themselves trying to replicate their beauty routines, rituals, and indulgences at home,” says Andrea. “Post-pandemic, we’ve continued to see a focus on all things related to nail care, and in particular, a significant spike in the artificial nail category. In tandem with the effects of the pandemic, we can assume that the current economic climate and increased costs of salon services are contributing to the consistent growth of this category,” Andrea says. CVS continues to expand its artificial nail assortment based on increasing consumer demand via an exclusive partnership with the OG of press-on nails (and the market leader) KISS Products.

“The growth of artificial nails can be attributed to their convenience, superiority to polish [no chipping, dulling, no dry time] and how consumers can achieve a wide variety of nail looks, lengths, shapes, effects, styles, and designs they simply can’t get from a bottle of nail polish,” says Annette DeVita-Goldstein, SVP Global Marketing for KISS.

According to Circana data, KISS generated $456 million in annual sales in 2022 of both glue and press-on nails. The brand even makes a collection for toes.

“Our latest innovations this year include cutting-edge design technologies that allowed us to introduce exciting, high fashion, ultra-glam looks showcasing 3D gemstones, holographic aurora effects, next-level chrome, and iridescent nails with the highest quality. These looks could never be achieved from a bottle of polish and by visiting a salon, these looks would be extremely expensive and time-consuming to create.”

Walgreens, too, is lengthening its reach into artificial nails. “We recently launched Olive & June in our stores with 12 exclusive products, including press-on nails, in different sizes with the most realistic fit. In January, we launched Effects Perfect Manicure from Sally Hansen that feature unmatched quality for a natural look and feel and timeless, fashion-forward designs that customers love,” says Heather Hughes, Group Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Beauty, Personal Care and Seasonal at Walgreens. “In our efforts to drive the best and most convenient curated beauty and personal care assortment, we’ve also welcomed a variety of KISS products like imPRESS Nails, Gel Fantasy Allure Nails, and Bare But Better Nails to shelves. Across the category, we’re focused on affordable, high-quality products that are easily accessible whether in-store or with Same-Day Delivery or Pickup.”

Market potential has lured more brands looking to claw their way into the category. Legacy color brands including OPI and Sally Hansen added glue-on products within the last year. Olive & June, which grew out of a Beverly Hills salon, branched into press-ons and expanded beyond its direct-to-consumer strategy with physical distribution in Target in 2021, Walmart in early 2023, and late May 2023 in Walgreens.

According to Traackr, an influencer marketing platform, the artificial nail trend hasn’t slowed down on social either, with posts featuring faux nails up by 19% and video views up by 89% year over year (June 2022 through May 2023 versus June 2021 through May 2022.) Press-ons are also no longer a product confined to drugstore aisles, with Sephora entering the market when it added Glamnetic’s Press-On Nail Kits to its product offerings. 

And there’s no shortage of brands vying for consumer attention. Glamnetic, a fast-growing eyelash line, is now in the artificial nail game, as is New York City’s mecca of nail art, Chillhouse. Static Nails, a reusable artificial brand founded by Alexis Irene when she was just a college student in 2016, is another example of a DIY brand competing in the prestige segment of the market. Then there’s Color Camp, a DTC brand where customers receive a personalized sizing form via email to help them identify the width of each finger. Using a user’s measurements, the company creates hand-painted glue-on nails: at-home gels can be re-worn three times.

Ann McFerran, the cofounder of Glamnetic, expanded to press-on nails in 2020 based on consumer requests and a personal pain point. “I hate getting my nails done,” says Ann. “All of the trendy nail looks were expensive to have done by a nail artist. There was a clear gap and that’s when we tried our hand at nails. We have all the on-trend styles you see on Instagram and we’re debuting one collection a month to capture trends quickly.”

From 2021 to 2022, Glamnetic’s sales soared 380%; to-date, Glamnetic has sold more than 1.5 million press-on nails. Each kit includes 30 nails and retails for $14.

The allure of artificial nails wasn’t lost on Sally Hansen, the leading nail color brand. Early in 2023, Sally Hansen leveraged its brand name with the debut of Salon Effects Perfect Manicure.

“In recent years, we’ve seen a spike in consumer interest for trendy nail designs and popular nail shapes like coffin and almond, which aren’t always easy to achieve. We decided to launch Salon Effects Perfect Manicure to make elevated, perfect polish manicures, exciting designs, and various nail shapes and lengths accessible to everyone who wants to step up their manicure game,” says Celia Tombalakian, Global Vice President for Sally Hansen.

Target has one of the mass market’s biggest commitments to DIY nails. In addition to Glamnetic in Ulta Beauty at Target doors, the chain has signage identifying its glue and press-on nails and stickers that are merchandised inline on gondolas. The assortment includes Dashing Diva, KISS, Olive & June, L.A. Girl, and Kyutee (a sticker brand). The latter was added to Target’s mix in 2022 as part of the retailer’s effort to add more Black-owned and founded brands.