Brief History of Nail Polish
Apparently, nail polish can be traced back as early as 3000 BC, where it originated in China. The early Chinese found ways to use gum arabic, egg whites, gelatin, and bees wax to create various varnishes and lacquers for the nail. In early China, very long finger nails were admired as a mark of aristocracy: only individuals who drank luxury as wine could grow them. The Egyptians would commonly use henna to stain their finger nails.
Color at that time in China as in Egypt represented social class. For instance, during the Chou Dynasty (appr 600 BC), gold and silver were the royal prerogative. Later, royalty usually wore black or red nail color. Lower ranking women were only permitted to wear pale tones; no women would have dared to wear the color of a queen or a king, upon pain of death. Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt 69-30 BC, was an avid "rust red" nail polish wearer.
Modern nail polish is a actually a variation of car paint.