The Effect of Pine Oil as a Substitute for Acetone In Nail Polish Remover
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Consumer Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Despite its prevalent usage in the nail industry, acetone, commonly used in nail polish remover, is a chemical that can be damaging to the human nail and surrounding skin. The purpose of this study was to discover a safer alternative to acetone in nail polish remover delivering the same level of efficacy. It was hypothesized that pine oil would function with similar efficacy as acetone in the removal of nail polish due to similar properties, such as volatility, antimicrobial and antifungal properties, and solvent capabilities. To test this hypothesis, pine oil was applied to 30 glass slides (0.5 mL each) containing dried nail polish, and was left to take effect for 4 minutes. Before the application of pine oil, the glass slide with dried nail polish was weighed using an analytical balance scale and subsequent to the experiment, the glass slides were weighed again to determine the mass (g) lost from 0.5 mL of pine oil. After leaving 4 minutes to dry, the glass slide was flipped and pressed down on a paper towel to imitate nail polish being wiped off. Using acetone as the control group, this procedure was repeated. The results of running a statistical z-test at an α=0.05, z(60) = 6.57, p = <0.001, were determined to be statistically significant. Therefore, it was concluded that pine oil is not a viable substitute for acetone in nail polish.
Recommended Citation
Kuhn, Duncan, "The Effect of Pine Oil as a Substitute for Acetone In Nail Polish Remover" (2025). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 71.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2025/all/71
Location
PENNY 204
Start Date
4-5-2025 10:00 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Effect of Pine Oil as a Substitute for Acetone In Nail Polish Remover
PENNY 204
Despite its prevalent usage in the nail industry, acetone, commonly used in nail polish remover, is a chemical that can be damaging to the human nail and surrounding skin. The purpose of this study was to discover a safer alternative to acetone in nail polish remover delivering the same level of efficacy. It was hypothesized that pine oil would function with similar efficacy as acetone in the removal of nail polish due to similar properties, such as volatility, antimicrobial and antifungal properties, and solvent capabilities. To test this hypothesis, pine oil was applied to 30 glass slides (0.5 mL each) containing dried nail polish, and was left to take effect for 4 minutes. Before the application of pine oil, the glass slide with dried nail polish was weighed using an analytical balance scale and subsequent to the experiment, the glass slides were weighed again to determine the mass (g) lost from 0.5 mL of pine oil. After leaving 4 minutes to dry, the glass slide was flipped and pressed down on a paper towel to imitate nail polish being wiped off. Using acetone as the control group, this procedure was repeated. The results of running a statistical z-test at an α=0.05, z(60) = 6.57, p = <0.001, were determined to be statistically significant. Therefore, it was concluded that pine oil is not a viable substitute for acetone in nail polish.
