Tortoise, Glass Nails Are the Moment’s Unbreakable Nail Trends: Spate

It may be a hot minute since tortoise shell was a popular glasses style, but like the true nature of the tortoise, slow and steady wins the race. The pretty, intricate pattern has paced its way into the nail category.

Per New York City-based trend tracker Spate’s new Popularity Index, tortoise and glass nails are the moment’s fastest-growing nail art trends in the US.

Tortoise Nails

Tortoise nails has grown by +314.0% compared to last year, gaining traction across platforms. Google search dominates, holding a 64.2% Popularity Share, with searches increasing by +386.0% year over year. On TikTok, the trend has grown by +227.1%, with consumers drawn to tutorials, as seen in hashtags like #nailtutorial (269.3K average weekly views) and #diynailart (194.3K average weekly views).

Plus, consumers aren’t limiting themselves to traditional shades either; searches for blonde, pink and green tortoise shell nails are on the rise. This presents an opportunity for salons to highlight this design as a specialty, whether through in-person promotions or social media. Press-on nail brands should also take note, analysts say. Increasing searches for tortoise shell press-on nails indicate growing consumer interest.

Glass Nails

Glass nails are the natural evolution of last summer’s chrome nail obsession, Spate says. This style creates the illusion of glass, typically achieved with gel polish. Over the past year, the trend has grown by +290.8% across platforms, with TikTok leading the charge, holding an 84.3% Popularity Share. On TikTok, interest has grown by +700.9%, while Google search has seen a modest increase of +4.4% year over year.

Consumers are also open to variations of the trend as seen by searches for stained glass nails. On TikTok, they’re looking for both inspiration and technique, with #nailinspo (6.3 million average weekly views) and #nailtutorial (6.1 million average weekly views). This presents an opportunity for nail polish brands, like static nails, to showcase their shades and tools by sharing tutorials and inspiration for at-home DIY looks. Interestingly, the glass effect isn’t limited to nails. In parallel, glass hair has grown by +70.1% across platforms, and the glass skin look has grown by +112.4% compared to last year, showing that high-shine, ultra-reflective beauty is having a major moment across categories.