Nail Polish Sales Hit $768 Million In 2012

Hint: It might have been your teenage obsession.

It seems like every day, another celebrity or TV show is launching a nail polish line.

But annoying as that is (and we find it infinitely annoyingly), it turns out it's just good business: Nail polish sales topped out at $768 million in 2012, up 32 percent from the year before. Or, as Jezebel put it, "Hordes of People Are Buying Nail Polish Like There’s No Tomorrow."

American women's newfound love for lacquer is no secret; last August, a study of the beauty industry found that nail products had by far the strongest and fastest-growing sales. The upward trend isn't going anywhere: In a new report, Women's Wear Daily writes that companies are more determined than ever to cash in on the obsession with nail stickers, fake nails, nail decals and at-home gel manicures.

Which is awesome for all those celebs launching nail polish lines, bad for those of us who couldn't give two hoots about nail art... and for all the expectant mommies out there. In case Kim Kardashian, Kate Middleton and Jessica Simpson weren't aware of it, manicures aren't the best idea for pregnant ladies.

Are you as wild about nail polish as the rest of American women seem to be? Read more at WWD.com and tell us in the comments.

Our favorite nail polishes of 2012!

Chanel June

Best In Beauty 2012: Nail Polish Colors

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