After over ten years of doing nails, I made the pen I wanted my clients to carry, and I used it on them for years before I ever sold one.
Nail technician of over ten years, founder of Body Collective, Gold Coast. Read her story
The best nail growth serum in Australia does not make nails grow faster than about 3 mm a month; what the good ones do is stop you losing length to breaks and peeling. Serums fall into two kinds: oil serums that keep the nail flexible, and bond building serums that stiffen a damaged nail. The right one depends on whether your nails snap or bend.
- No nail serum changes the growth rate of about 3 mm a month. The good ones help you keep the length you grow.
- Oil serums keep the nail flexible. Bond building serums firm up a damaged nail.
- Snapping nails usually want oil first. Bending nails may like a short course of a bond builder, with oil alongside.
- Read any maker's timing promise as a claim, and look for how it was measured.
What can a nail growth serum do, and what can it not do?
A nail growth serum cannot make nails grow faster than the rate your body sets, about 3 mm a month, but a good one can help you keep more of the length you grow.
The nail you can see was made two to three months ago, so anything you start today takes two to three months to reach the tip. What a serum can change is the next millimetres: whether they come through flexible and hydrated, with fewer breaks, or stiff, or peeling.
Here's my one warning. Makers promise a lot on timing, so read any promise as a claim and look for whether it says how it was measured. Mine is modest on purpose: most people notice softer cuticles within days and visible growth within one to two weeks. Results vary.
What are the two kinds of nail serum?
Nail serums come in two kinds: oil serums, which keep the nail flexible, and bond building serums, which stiffen a damaged nail.
They do different jobs, and mixing them up is an easy way to be disappointed. An oil serum hydrates and conditions the nail and the skin around it, so the nail bends instead of snapping. A bond builder says it builds new bonds inside the nail, and in my view that adds firmness. Firmness can help a soft, damaged nail and make a brittle one worse, which is the same reasoning as in the best nail strengthener in Australia.
How do the best nail growth serums in Australia compare?
Here is how the Body Collective pen compares with a typical nail growth serum on what is in it, whether it works over enhancements, how it comes and who makes it.
I've kept the table to the rows where there's a real difference, and I've only named a brand where its own page says something you can check. I read those pages on 12 October 2026.
| What you are comparing | Body Collective pen | A typical serum |
|---|---|---|
| What is in it | Four certified organic oils: fractionated coconut, argan, jojoba and sweet almond. The unscented pen is the four oils only; scented pens add fragrance. | OPI Repair Mode lists alcohol denat., water, maleic acid and 1,6-hexanediamine. Inacril leads with water and glycerin. |
| Over gel, SNS, acrylic and dip | Works on natural nails and over gel, SNS, acrylic and dip | OPI Repair Mode goes on bare nails. Inacril says it cannot penetrate polish. Kester Black's Nail Growth System is used on clean, bare nails at night. |
| How it comes | A twist pen for your handbag, or a 15 ml dropper for the bedside, in nine scents and unscented | Bottles: OPI Repair Mode is 9 ml and Inacril is 4.5 ml. |
| Reviews | A live star rating from our customers, shown on the pen below | Check the reviews |
| Who makes it | Hand blended on the Gold Coast by a nail technician of over ten years. Over 200,000 people around the world have used it. | Check the label |
Body Collective nail serum: four oils, pen or dropper
The Body Collective Nail Growth and Strength Serum is an oil serum: four certified organic oils in a pen or a dropper.
Here's what's in it. Four certified organic oils: fractionated coconut, argan, jojoba and sweet almond. The unscented pen is the four oils only; scented pens add fragrance. One click a day covers ten nails, and it works on natural nails and over gel, SNS, acrylic and dip.
One thing before you buy: sweet almond oil is a nut derived oil; people with nut allergies should talk to their doctor first.
It isn't a bond builder, and I won't pretend it is. It won't give a damaged nail the firmness a bond builder describes. What it does is keep the nail hydrated and flexible, so it breaks less. You can see the whole range, pens, droppers and packs, in our nail strength and growth serums.
Which nail growth serum suits snapping, bending, peeling or thin nails?
Choose by what your nails do, not by the label: oil for nails that snap or peel, and a short course of a bond builder for nails that bend.
This is where I start with each kind of nail:
| Your nails | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Snap or crack | An oil serum, daily | Oil keeps the nail flexible instead of adding firmness |
| Bend and fold | A short course of a bond builder, with oil alongside | Soft nails may like extra firmness for a few weeks |
| Peel in layers | An oil serum, and gloves for water | Peeling often follows soaking and drying |
| Thin after gel or acrylic | Oil, patience and a light touch | Thin nails have little to spare, and a damaged nail takes months to grow out |
How do you use a nail growth serum properly?
Use any serum exactly as its pack says, at the same time every day, on clean, dry nails.
A serum you forget is a serum that can't work, so here's the routine I'd follow:
- Read the pack. Makers set different courses, from a few days to a few weeks, so follow the one on yours.
- Start with clean, dry nails. Wash and dry your hands, and take off oil or old product first.
- Serum first, oil after. If you use both, the serum goes on first, then the oil once the serum's dried.
- Keep water away. Wear gloves for the dishes, and dry your hands well.
- Judge it fairly. Check at two weeks, then again at two to three months, because the nail you can see was made two to three months ago.
When should you see someone about your nails?
A serum is for everyday wear and dryness, so nails that have changed in other ways need someone who can look at them.
If it came on suddenly, hurts, is discoloured, thickened or lifting, see a GP, dermatologist or podiatrist.
For nails that snap or peel from everyday wear, an oil serum is where I start, and mine's below.
Nail Growth, Strength & Repair Serum | Easy Twist Pen
A$16.95
Four certified organic oils, hand blended on the Gold Coast, and one click a day covers ten nails.
Add to cartSweet almond oil is a nut derived oil; people with nut allergies should talk to their doctor first.
Questions people ask
What is the best nail serum in Australia?
There is no single best, because the right serum depends on whether your nails snap or bend. For nails that snap, an oil serum that keeps the nail flexible is where I start. For nails that bend, a short course of a bond builder, with oil alongside, can suit. No serum makes nails grow faster than about 3 mm a month.
Does nail growth serum actually work?
It can help you keep length, but it cannot speed up the rate. A fingernail grows about 3 mm a month, so a serum works by reducing breaks and peeling and softening cuticles. Most people notice softer cuticles within days and visible growth within one to two weeks; results vary, and the nail you can see was made two to three months ago.
Can I use two nail serums together?
Yes, if they do different jobs. Makers who pair a serum with an oil say serum first, then oil once it has dried. Two serums that both firm the nail, such as two bond builders, only add firmness. If you are unsure, use one at a time and follow the pack.
