Here's a breakdown:
* Nail polish: Consists of pigments, polymers (to create a film), and solvents (to make it flow).
* Nail polish remover: Contains solvents like acetone or ethyl acetate that are good at dissolving non-polar compounds.
* Water: Is a polar solvent, meaning it has a positive and negative side. It's good at dissolving polar compounds like salt, but not non-polar compounds like oil or the polymers in nail polish.
Think of it like oil and water: They don't mix because oil is non-polar and water is polar. The same principle applies to nail polish and water.
In short, nail polish remover is specifically designed to dissolve the polymers in nail polish, while water is not effective at doing so.