Acetone v. Non-Acetone

The Truth You May Not Have Known

Waltzing into the pharmacy late last night I was a girl on a mission. I knew exactly what I needed and somewhat had an idea where it would be in the 2000 square feet of toiletries, makeup, and pharmaceuticals. Approaching the aisle with the new Essie collection peaking out I was momentarily shocked at the selection; The selection of nail polish removers neatly stacked in front of me.

They came in every color and formulation imaginable, pink, green, blue, clear, nourishing, hydrating, non-damaging, etc. Now I really do love a plethora of options when I shop, I always have but this all seemed a little bit ridiculous. I mean once you get past the Acetone v. Non-Acetone polishes is the rest just fluff?

I’ve been told to always go non-acetone polish remover, I’ve always been told it was less damaging, wouldn’t ruin my carpet or bedspread if I spilled it all over the place, and a it isn’t supposed to destroy all of my clothing if the bottle explodes in my suitcase mid-flight (which sadly has happened multiple times.)

But are non-acetone removers really better, or is that just another wives tale waiting to be dismissed? Staring in the middle of the pharmacy late that night I really wanted to know. So naturally I bought the smallest bottle of each acetone and non-acetone polish removers and went home to investigate.

There is no doubt that Acetone is a much stronger nail polish remover, it is clear, highly flammable, and has a pretty distinctive harsh smell that accompanies it. It is a chemical solvent capable of dissolving plastic if left long enough in an acetone solution—how and why were any women using this on their nails I wondered. Because it is a chemical solvent Acetone does work much more quickly to dissolve the bonders and pigments in your nail polishes- removing glitter, shimmer, and that really pretty coral OPI color you just picked up last week in mere seconds!

Acetone polish removers are usually made with Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol.) Which explains the potent smell and its ability to disinfect your finger tips so well!

Non-Acetone removers however also contain solvents – hence their ability to break down the organic polymers in polish you wear – they just work a little bit more slowly and appear to be healthier for your weekly (or in my case bi or tri-weekly nail care routine.)

Non-Acetone removers usually are made up of the active ingredient Ethyl Acetate (which is made up of ethanol – you know the stuff BP puts in your gasoline to make your engine run more smoothly- and acetic acid. Ethyl Acetate is colorless and flammable as well but it has a somewhat pleasant smell. It actually is used in many perfumes.

So naturally you must be thinking, just as I was, that it only makes sense that you would use non-acetone polish remover on your natural nails and you could use the acetone remover on your fake nails (acrylics, gels, etc…) This couldn’t be further from the truth though! The strength of the solvents in Acetone polish remover will ruin the acrylic polymers in your fake nails, the remover will take off the polish but it will also seem into the acrylic wrap and weaken your manicure! It will eventually cause your acrylics or gels to break away from your natural nails and I mean who wants that?

So was the wives tale right? Should we always use non-acetone polish removers? Are they really the holy grail of polish removers? They why are acetone removers still so widely and readily available?

Well when it comes to glitter polishes Acetone nail varnish removers are your best friends- the harsher solvent will save you a ridiculous amount of time when you are trying to get that beautiful glitter top coat off of your nails. Why? Glitter polishes (and polishes with chunky additives) are made with different polymers that are much more difficult to break down then your usual French manicure.

So down to basics- the three bullet summary if you will:

• ·       Acetate removers are not the devil- they will remove chunky glitter in a flash and can break down your nail polish in an instant
• ·       Non-Acetate removers are healthier for your natural nails but still contain chemical solvents- they just aren’t as potent.
• ·       ALWAYS use non-acetate removers on your fake nails - after all that was one of the reasons for their invention. Non-Acetate remover is the only thing you should be using on your fake nails because anything stronger will completely break down your manicure!

Hope you all found this helpful, I always love sharing the beauty related info I’m learning with you all!

xx Kat