Spray-On Nail Polish Remover Exists, and I Tested It Against 4 Kinds of Polishes

I’ll never forget the moment I ruined my mother’s life. Not really, but that’s what it felt like: As a tween, I spilled an open bottle of nail polish remover on her beloved wooden coffee table. It instantly burned through the finish in a half-dollar-sized circle. She was devastated. A wooden pig has lived on top of the spot ever since, but it haunts me. Nevertheless, fast-forward to present day, and I still balance remover on my lap while painting my nails (very carefully, though. I’ve learned that much). Cue “there has to be a better way,” because at long last there finally is: Spray-on nail polish remover is here, and I’m never spilling again.

Invented by the masterminds over at Nail-Aid, the brand’s new Spray Away nail polish remover doesn’t so much reinvent the wheel as keep it from going wildly off the rails. Remover isn’t necessarily the most joyous product in the world, but Spray Away’s aerosol means there’s no longer the Risky Business edge to nails and Netflix on the couch. The promise of a tiny tweak with big results beckoned, so I took the first-ever spray nail polish remover for a spin.

To see how well the spray could cut through every polish strength, I trialed the remover on my favorite OPI red, a China Glaze glitter polish (notoriously difficult for any remover to tackle), Essie’s at-home Gel Couture polish, and a nontoxic option by boutique brand Sundays. Difficulty-wise, I expected the Gel Couture and the glitter to put up the strongest fight.

The cap locks with a twist, so you also don’t have to worry about blasting your couch with an accidental lean. Of the three $7 formulas—infused with keratin and cocoa butter, hyaluronic acid and collagen, or ceramides and coconut oil—I went for the keratin spin. It contains acetone, which has a reputation for being notoriously tough on both nail polish and your nails, so obviously, the promise of a formula that helps fortify your nails in spite of the acetone was appealing. And here’s the magic moment: A quick blast leaves your cotton pad soaked and ready.

Once on the pad, it’s smooth sailing from there. (The bottle says to not put it directly on your nails.) Swipe the cotton across your nails from base to tip, à la any other remover. You know the drill.

The verdict? Spray-Away is my new go-to for daily color switches. For reference, I’m wearing the China Glaze glitter on my thumb and middle finger, the OPI on my pointer, the Essie Gel Couture on my ring finger, and Sundays’ nontoxic polish on my pinkie. The formula wiped off the OPI and Essie contenders without a fuss; OPI’s red did cling around my nail beds, but that’s par for the course with bright reds—the aftermath always looks like I pulled a Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago. On the other hand (figuratively speaking), Sundays’ lacquer disappeared in an instant. Literally just brushing against the pad left my nontoxic nail half-gone: convenient if you like an opportunistic removal.

Spray-Away’s only pain point was the glitter polish—even hard rubs couldn’t budge most of the shiny chunks. I don’t blame it, though, since glitter doesn’t let go easily in any case. The best way to get rid of it is still soaking a cotton ball in acetone and foil-wrapping it against your nails for a few minutes. (A peel-off base coat works too.) For all other polishes, I’ll be reaching for the Spray-Away over my old, easy-to-knock-over remover standby.

Formula innovations come fast and furious in the beauty world, and while I’m the first to admit sometimes it’s more for a fun new texture than a necessary invention, this remover combines the two. I’d send a bottle to my mom, but that might be spraying remover in the wound.

Nail-Aid 1-Second Spray Away, $7, in Walmart stores and nailaidworks.com

Related Stories:
-The Best Nail Polish Colors and Trends for Spring 2017
-Crystals Have Officially Come for Our Nails, and We’re Not Mad at It
-Does Spray-On Nail Polish Actually Work? We Tested It to Find Out