Nudes And Butter Yellow Split Spring As Birkenstock Enters Nail Polish

Analysis

The week's biggest brand story is Birkenstock's move into nail polish, reported exclusively by The Business of Fashion as part of a push into colour cosmetics ^[1]. It lands in a market where editorial attention is overwhelmingly focused on colour direction rather than hardware, with two competing narratives running side by side. The Zoe Report argues that spring's biggest nail colour trend is "barely a colour at all", pointing to neutral and nude polish ^[2], and Vogue has followed with a guide to nude shades for a "your nails, but better" finish ^[3]. ELLE UK frames the same restraint differently, naming "old money nails" as the new quiet luxury manicure to try this spring ^[4].

Against that, Cosmopolitan UK calls butter yellow spring's biggest colour trend and offers seven manicure designs built around it ^[5], while TheIndustry.beauty's spring/summer 2026 round-up spans pastels through to polka dots, suggesting salons should expect demand across both minimal and decorative briefs ^[6]. Heritage colour credentials are also being relitigated: Who What Wear has canvassed experts on the nine best Essie shades of all time ^[7].

On product and at-home formats, Woman & Home's beauty editor judges the Nails Inc It's Topless range the closest any nail polish has come to a gel manicure ^[8], while InStyle's at-home gel kit guide pitches DIY sets from $36 as a way to save hundreds versus salon visits ^[9]. Retailers and techs should also note a nail polish remover recall over ingredients "shown to cause cancer" ^[10].