Frequently Asked Questions

No, MAVALA products are not tested on animals in any country. Although the ban on animal testing in Switzerland is fairly recent (2018), MAVALA laboratories have been complying with this requirement for much longer, in accordance with European cosmetics regulations. The latter has prohibited animal testing since 2004, and the marketing of finished products containing ingredients tested on animals since 2009 (or 2013 for the latest tests).

Some Mavala products contain a high percentage of natural ingredients, as indicated on the label and the product page on this website.

All Mavala products are made in Switzerland, except pencils and make-up powders, which are made in France, Italy and Germany.

You can buy our products on this website as well as from our distributors (pharmacies and beauty salons). Find your nearest stockist in our store locator.

If you are a professional and would like to work with us, please contact us using the contact form on the website.

Yes, by applying 2 thin coats of an opaque, covering shade to protect the nails from the harmful effects of UV rays. All the shades in our Bio-Color's range are suitable for this purpose. What's more, Mini Color's + SILICIUM and Mini Bio-Color's are enriched with fortifying organic silicon to help strengthen weakened nails. For more information about using MAVALA products during chemotherapy, visit our dedicated page.

All Mavala products are suitable for both men and women.

Unless otherwise stated on the label, Mavala products can be used by pregnant or breast-feeding women.

When manicure products are used (bases, nail polish, top coats, solvents), it is important to ventilate the room well.

The following products should not be used when pregnant or breast-feeding:

Refreshing foot gel
Concentrated foot bath

Yes we do. When you spend $100 or more on this website, a popup window will appear offering you to choose a sample or promotional item, which will be added to your order free of charge.

Our stockists also carry testers, brochures and occasionally samples of the products they stock. Ask your local MAVALA stockist.

It means that the product is flammable and should be kept away from sources of heat or ignition under all circumstances.

It indicates the ‘period after opening’ (PAO), i.e. the period of use without risk after the first opening of the product, expressed as a number of months (‘M’), provided that the product is kept under normal storage conditions and not exposed to extreme temperatures.

This symbol invites you to refer to additional information (lists of ingredients, precautions for use) given on a leaflet or label attached to the product, when this information cannot be given on the product packaging due to lack of space.

The list of ingredients appears on the box of the product on sale. If this is not possible in practice (packaging too small or missing), the ‘open book’ symbol refers you to a leaflet which gives the list of ingredients. You can also find the list of ingredients for each product on our website on their product page.

If you have encountered a problem with a MAVALA product (defective product, reaction to a product), please contact us.

Nail polish is made up of up to 80% solvent and 20% pigment. Every time you open the bottle the solvent evaporates and the polish gets thicker. To restore the consistency you need to add between 6-12 drops of Mavala's Thinner as this is pure solvent. DO NOT add nail polish remover as this will weaken your polish as the polish and the remover work against each other making the polish thin and weak.

To improve the longevity of your manicure, we recommend to:

1. Clean your nails with nail polish remover (even if you are not wearing nail polish) before starting your manicure to remove any residue that could be on your nails (from hand cream, cuticle oil, etc).

2. Apply your base coat, nail polish (2 coats) and top coat in a few long strokes and in thin layers.

3. Apply your top coat over the tip of your nail and under the free edge to “seal” your manicure.

4. Every couple of days, reapply a thin layer of top coat as it wears away with everyday living, leaving your nail polish unprotected.

5. Wear gloves when gardening or doing house chores.

First of all, be sure that your nail polish has the correct consistency. If it is too thick, add a few drops of THINNER. Apply nail polish in long thin strokes, avoid brush short strokes. The second coat should cover light areas or empty zones which have not been covered by the first coat.

Begin by applying polish down to the centre of the nail in one stroke, from base to tip, leaving a small space between polish and cuticle. Then, apply polish to cuticle base, stopping just short of the cuticle. Lift brush and stroke one side of nail from base to the tip, avoiding the cuticle. Stroke other side of nail from base to tip.

If colour has touched the cuticle or skin, wait until the polish has dried and remove with a cotton wool wrapped cuticle stick dipped in nail polish remover, or use MAVALA's handy CORRECTEUR pen which is designed for this purpose.

We recommend to keep your nail polish at room temperature. Keeping it in the fridge will not make it last longer (it actually gets a little thicker in cold temperatures).

Nail polish is approximately 70-80% solvent, the remaining 20-30% being colour pigments, plasticisers, dryers etc. Every time a bottle of nail polish is opened, the liquid solvent evaporates leaving behind the solid pigments, plasticisers etc. To keep your nail polish consistency right for longer, close the bottle as soon as you have finished using it. If thickening occurs, add a small amount of thinner which will restore the nail polish to its correct consistency.

Nail polishes can be used for up to 2 years from the day the bottle is first opened.

Due to their small size, it can be difficult to get a good grip on the cap of the MAVALA nail polish bottles. We recommend to wrap the cap of the bottle with a rubber band. The result is astonishing, your bottle will open simply without any effort.

If that fails, it means that nail polish has likely dried on the neck of the bottle, inside the bottle cap, gluing the bottle and the cap together. You may be able to re-liquify the dried nail polish using thinner. Turn the bottle on its side and drop a couple of drops of thinner in the gap between the bottle and the cap. Place the bottle upside down (so that the thinner falls inside the cap) and leave it for one minute. Try to open the bottle again with the rubber band technique described above. If it works, remember to wipe the neck of the bottle and inside the bottle cap with nail polish remover to ensure it doesn't stick again next time you close your bottle.

All MAVALA nail polishes, base coats, top coats and camouflage products allow nails to breathe, as they either contain a specific resin, or they are water-based formulas. This resin is one of the oldest-known modified cellulose derivatives (extracted from wood). This is an excellent film-forming polymer - safe for nails - providing a flexible and brilliant film, which adheres to the surface of the nail plate.

When applied on nails, evaporation of the solvents leaves a resistant, shell-like, yet porous film that still allows oxygen and water vapor to pass through the nail polish, to the nail plate. Thus, when several thin coats of various base coats, MAVALA Mini Color’s, and Top Coats are applied on nails, all these products are sufficiently porous to enable the nail to breathe and receive water vapor and do not need to be removed during wudu.

Acetone-based removers (like our blue remover) quickly remove any nail polish, even dark or sparkly colours. Acetone-free removers (like our pink and crystal removers) are more gentle and better suited for fragile or dry nails.

Yes, it effectively removes classic nail polish while being gentler on nails. However, it can require a longer application on the nail than an acetone-based remover to fully remove nail polish.

No, all our removers are formulated to respect the natural beauty of nails. Make sure that you choose the remover best suited to your needs to minimise any risk of dryness.

Yes, they are saturated with a high performance, acetone-free remover. What's more, the pads themselves are made of fabric (not cotton wool), which makes them very effective at removing glitter nail polish as they do not tear on contact with glitter.

Soak a cotton pad with remover, press it firmly on your nail for a few seconds to dissolve the nail polish, then pull the pad towards the tip of the nail wiping the nail polish in one stroke. Don't forget to moisturise your nails and cuticles afterwards.

We accept all major credit cards (including Visa, Mastercard, American Express and UnionPay), Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Afterpay.

In your cart, above the checkout button, click on the + sign next to discount, enter your discount code and click Apply.

A confirmation email is automatically sent to the email address you have entered at checkout once your order is processed. If you haven't received this email, check your junk or spam folder for an email from Mavala Australia. You can also check the status of your orders in your account which can be accessed by clicking here.

We no longer use passwords to access accounts. You only need your email address. A confirmation code is sent to your email address every time you try to login.

Online orders are automatically transmitted to our warehouse for processing immediately after being accepted. The window to be able to update or cancel an order is very small, so please contact us as soon as possible if an error was made when placing an order. Once processed, orders can no longer be updated or cancelled.

We ship all orders with Australia Post standard delivery service, which is usually within 5 business days of dispatch Australia wide (we do not ship outside of Australia).

As many of our products are flammable (including nail polishes), they are not accepted through the Express Post network and, as a result, we do not offer this service.

To ensure that you receive your order at your requested delivery address (and not at your nearest post office), we give Australia Post authority to leave your parcel in a safe place at your address if no one's home at the time of delivery

As soon as your order is dispatched, you will receive an email with your tracking number and a link to track your order. If you haven't received this email within 2 business days of placing your order, check your junk / spam folder for this email. You can also login to your account to access the tracking link.

If your tracking shows that your order has not been delivered within 7 days after being accepted by Australia Post, please contact us so that we can raise an enquiry with Australia Post. We also recommend that you contact Australia Post directly to ensure that they look into it as soon as possible.

Yes, if you have not opened or used a product and it is still in its original sealed packaging, you can return it to us within 14 days of receiving it for a store credit or cash refund adjusted for any non-recoverable cost (such as the original shipping fee and payment charge from your credit card provider, PayPal or Afterpay). For more details, please read our Refund Policy.

To start a return, contact us or login to your account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Independent Swiss Laboratory

Available nationally