Manucurist offers more than 90 shades of nail polish. But behind each one is more than just colour. It's a story of inspiration, collaboration and craftsmanship that brings your next manicure to life. Every Green™ and Green Flash™ bottle is the result of meticulous work by a passionate, wildly creative team. Fancy a peek behind the scenes? Join us as we unveil the creative process behind your favourite shades.
Inspiration: where it all begins
It all starts with an idea that takes shape over time. Coming up with a new colour takes planning and patience. “We work 18 to 24 months in advance, just like in the fashion industry,” explains Célia, Head of Product Development at Manucurist. Because creating a colour means tuning in to what’s happening around us.
Spotting fashion and beauty trends
This first stage is when ideas start flowing. It’s a collaborative moment for Célia, Marie-Julie, Junior Product Manager, Gaëlle, Manucurist CEO, and Lexi, Marketing Manager for the US, who share their vision and inspiration gathered during their continuous trend monitoring.
In terms of fashion, they analyse couture and especially ready-to-wear shows to spot clothing colours set to make waves in the coming seasons. On the beauty front, they stay on top of trends from the most talked-about brands. Launches from Glossier, Rhode, Summer Fridays, Typology and Guerlain are closely watched.
The team – including Gaëlle and Célia – brainstorms new Manucurist shades during Product Development meetings.
The Manucurist community: an endless source of inspiration
While trends guide future shades, the Manucurist community also plays a crucial role. Your feedback, ideas and desires fuel the team’s creativity. Every new shade is created with and for you, to meet your expectations. That’s why we’re constantly in touch through our social media channels.
The Manucurist palette: a heritage to build on
You can't create a new polish without referring to the Manucurist palette. Each new addition must fill a gap in our already rich colour library while maintaining consistency within each colour family.
From these initial reflections, the team chooses the shades to develop. Each chosen colour is turned into a moodboard that encapsulates the intention behind it: with image boards (featuring catwalk looks, make-up, food styling and interior design), material samples (fabric swatches, makeup textures, etc.) and the closest matching Pantone®️ code. This is the document passed on to the lab.
Which new colour will join the Manucurist palette? That’s the big question!
From moodboard to formula: the birth of a colour
This is where Emilie, Manucurist's colourist, steps in to bring the colour idea to life.
The role of the colourist
Guided by the brief from the marketing team, Emilie begins a task that requires exceptional precision. “I start by selecting the plant-based pigments and other components that will give us the exact shade we’re aiming for,” she explains. Choosing the ingredients involves as much precision as it does intuition. There are countless different pigments, and they all behave differently: some offer better coverage, while others are more translucent. What’s more, not all pigments are authorised in every country – some blues, yellows and greens are restricted, for instance.
If the desired shade has a textured effect, Emilie must also select the right type of material. As she puts it: “Pearlescents are usually finer and provide a smooth, makeup-like finish. Glitter particles are larger, which gives a more random, layered effect.”
The art of combining ingredients to create a stable formula that complies with regulations in every country where the polish is sold.
Once the ingredients are selected, Emilie blends them into a Green Flash™ polish base. The colour development process always starts with Green Flash™, as its formula is more technically demanding, and is then adapted into a Green™ version. The resulting sample is sent to the Manucurist team.
Dialogue to achieve the perfect balance
As soon as Célia and Marie-Julie receive the sample, they compare it with similar shades from the existing Manucurist palette to make sure it truly stands out. They test the polish on their nails to assess opacity or translucency, texture thickness, ease of application, durability, drying time and more. Then it’s time for a second test with Agathe, a nail artist and manicure expert, who gives her professional take.
This feedback kicks off a conversation between Célia and the lab to fine-tune the formula. New samples are created and tested again until every aspect meets the team’s high standards.
Once the colour is approved in Green Flash™, the process starts again to reproduce it in the Green™ formula. It’s a real challenge for our colourist, as Manucurist insists the shades must look identical across both ranges.
Creating a new colour in both Green™ and Green Flash™ formulas: a real feat for our colourists.
The label and the bottling
Once the colour is approved and the formula signed off, there's one final essential step: finding the perfect name. Whether playful or poetic, each name tells a story. Sometimes it’s love at first sight – like Indian Summer, a brick-red polish created in tribute to the iconic colour by Yves Saint Laurent. Other times, it takes time, imagination and wordplay to find a name that sparks something. And occasionally, a more commercial name is chosen for its impact. In every case, the name must always be checked to ensure it's not already in use by another brand.
The label design is the final touch. Célia and Marie-Julie gather all the key information: the shade name, list of ingredients, pictograms and mandatory statements. Then the graphic design team gets to work. Once the labels are printed, they're sent off to the factory. At last, production can begin… it's the official birth of a new nail polish!
Bottled and named, the new polish is ready to start its journey.
From that first spark of inspiration to the moment the colour touches your nails, months of hard work go into each new launch. A true labour of love and expertise, every Manucurist polish is not just a shade – it’s a shared experience and a wave of emotion. A colour story the Manucurist team is proud to continue writing with you and for you. Life in beautiful colours 🌈💅
