Understanding purity and how it affects nail applications
When you buy a bottle of acetone labelled “100% acetone”, you may assume it is completely pure. But is acetone pure, as most people think? The answer is more subtle than it looks. Understanding the purity of acetone is especially essential for professionals who use it in salons where even minor contaminants can affect outcomes.
What does “100% acetone” mean?
Just because a product is labeled “100% acetone” does not guarantee absolute purity. Manufacturers often round up. In other words, most salon grade acetone is within the 97-99% purity range. The remaining proportion consists primarily of water and minimal, generally harmless impurities. However, low grade acetone, such as found in paints and hardware stores, may contain more important contaminants, including oily residues that can affect performance.
Why is acetone purity important for nails?
Acetone plays an important role in absorbing the removal of nail coatings and is a basic ingredient in nail plate cleansers for cleaning nail plates before applying the coating. Creates dry surfaces that effectively remove natural oils and improve the adhesion of nail polish, UV gel nail polish, and strengthening. However, if acetone contains oily contaminants, these residues can remain on the nail plate after the acetone has evaporated. This thin, oily layer can cause lifting, peeling and insufficient adhesion of the nail coating.
Acetone grades are safe for salon applications, but lower quality acetone with more impurities leads to undesirable results. To ensure the best adhesion, experts should choose high purity acetone without adhesive barriers.
How to test whether acetone is pure
If your acetone doesn’t seem as pure as it claims, you can run a simple test to check for contaminants.
- Pour a small amount In an acetone (about 1 ounce) glass jar or shot glass.
- Let it evaporate It’s a natural safe place and away from heat and open flames.
- After complete evaporationwipe it with your fingers to check the inside of the container.
- Feel all the residue– If you notice an oily membrane, acetone may contain contaminants that prevent nail adhesion.
High quality salon acetone should not leave behind oily residues. Even if there is a small amount of water (usually up to 5%), this will evaporate without affecting the adhesion.
Choose the right acetone for your nail application
For best results, experts should use salon grade acetone with a purity of at least 97-99%. Higher purity levels such as technical grade acetone (99.5% or more) are available, but are not significantly more expensive for salon use.
Additionally, some acetone products contain skin conditioning additives to reduce dryness. Although it is beneficial for the skin and is essential when used as a solution to soak the product when used solely to cleanse the nail plate, these additives can leave residues that interfere with adhesion. If you are lifting or peeling your nails in your nail application, switching to a purer form of acetone may resolve the issue. Alternatively, using a “brand” nail plate cleanser instead as acetone while removing most surface oils, will not remove everything.
Conclusion
So is acetone pure? The answer depends on its intended use. While most salon grade acetone is pure enough for nail application, low grade options may contain contaminants that interfere with adhesion. By performing a simple evaporation test, experts can ensure that they use high quality acetone to provide optimal results. If you are in doubt, consulting with the manufacturer of nail products will help you decide on the best cleanser for perfect adhesion every time.
