Here's a breakdown:
* Nail polish is made up of:
* Pigments: These give the polish its color.
* Film-forming polymers: These bind the pigments together and create the hard, shiny film on your nail.
* Solvents: These help the polish to flow and dry quickly.
* Resins: These add durability and shine.
* Nail polish remover contains solvents that dissolve the film-forming polymers in nail polish. The most common solvent used is acetone, but other solvents like ethyl acetate are also used.
* Water is a polar solvent, meaning it has a positive and negative end. Water is not strong enough to break down the non-polar bonds in the film-forming polymers of nail polish.
In summary, nail polish remover works because its solvents are specifically designed to break down the chemical bonds in the nail polish, while water lacks the necessary strength to do so.