OPI vs DND vs Essie: Which Nail Polish Brand Fits You?

What each brand actually is

These three names get compared as if they were three versions of the same product. They are not. They overlap on lacquer, but each one is built around something different.

These numbers are the counts in our catalog now, so use them as a rough guide to range, not as a promise. You can always check the current lineup: OPI, DND and Essie.

Lacquer compared: what you can and can't say

It is tempting to declare a winner on formula. We won't, because the honest answer depends on things only your own hands can tell you: how the brush feels, how many coats you need for opacity, and how the color wears on your nails.

What we can say from the sources:

• FDA says nail polish is a cosmetic and that retail products must list their ingredients on the label. So the label, not a marketing line, is where to check what is in a bottle.
• FDA notes that toluene is used as a solvent in some polishes but is being phased out, and that some polishes contain plasticizers such as phthalates, and some contain formaldehyde or the resin TSFR, which some people can become allergic to.
• Brands market "free-of" lists (for example, "3-free" or "8-free"), and the exact ingredients behind those labels differ from brand to brand. If this matters to you or your clients, read the label or ask the maker, and don't rely on a retailer's description.
• Makeup.com says Essie's Here to Stay base coat dries in under a minute and Essie's Gel Couture top coat stays glossy for up to 14 days. Those are the maker's kind of claims, so test them against your own bottles.

Run your own three-bottle test

Pick a similar shade from each brand, such as a pink or a nude. Paint one finger per brand on the same hand, with the same base coat and top coat, and use the same technique. Then score what you see.

Keep the same base and top coat for all three so you are comparing the color, not the coats. Use thin coats, since thick coats bubble and dry slowly whatever the brand (see our guide to bubbles and slow drying).

The gel side: OPI vs DND

If you do gel, the comparison changes, because OPI and DND are both full gel brands, and Essie is not. Here is how to think about it.

• OPI. OPI's range includes lacquer, gel color, Intelli-Gel and dip. If you want one maker for base coat, color and top coat across all of those, OPI has it. OPI's own gel lessons stress prep, thin coats and not flooding the cuticles.
• DND. DND's strength is the DUO: one gel and one lacquer in the same shade. A client can wear gel on her hands and lacquer on her toes in a matching color, or wear lacquer at home when she takes a break from gel. Our duo sets are one of our biggest categories.
• Allergy-conscious lines. If a client is worried about ingredients, look at the HEMA and TPO-free gel lines, including DND's TPO and HEMA free line. Our HEMA and TPO free page lists them. See also our guide to gel polish allergy.

For a more detailed gel comparison, see our guide to gel polish vs regular polish and the page on cure times.

Which brand for which buyer

How to read a polish label

The label is the only place where the maker has to tell you what is in the bottle. Here is a quick way to use it, whatever the brand.

1. Find the ingredient list. It is printed on the box, a fold-out label or the bottle. FDA says products sold at retail must list their ingredients.
2. Look for the solvent and the resin. Polish ingredient lists often start with solvents such as butyl acetate and ethyl acetate, then a film-forming resin. This tells you the product type, not whether it is good.
3. Look for the ingredients you or your client avoid. For example, formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate or TSFR (tosylamide/formaldehyde resin). FDA names these as ingredients that appear in some polishes. If a client has a known sensitivity, check for the exact ingredient instead of relying on a "free-of" number.
4. Check the shade number and batch. Colors can vary slightly between batches. Keep a client's bottle info on her card so you can match it next time.
5. Check storage and expiry guidance if the maker prints it, and follow it.

If you cannot find an ingredient list, ask the maker or the store. A reputable brand will give you one.

Switching brands in a salon

If you already work with one brand and want to add another, treat it like any new supplier.

• Test before you stock. Run the three-bottle test above with the brand you use now as the control.
• Keep systems together. Gel base, color and top coat from one brand cure together in a lamp and are made to work together. Lacquer is more forgiving, so you can mix lacquer brands more easily. Gel mixing needs a test nail.
• Re-label your shelf. Put the shade number, the brand and the date opened on each bottle, so you rotate stock.
• Offer the match. If a client loves one color in gel, a DUO pair gives her the same shade in lacquer for touch-ups.
• Watch what your clients ask for. If clients bring in photos with a specific brand's shade names, stock those first.

Come into any of our four stores in Margate, Pembroke Pines, Kendall or Boynton Beach if you want to compare bottles side by side. See the store pages for addresses and hours.

Do not forget the base and top coat

A polish is only as good as what sits under and over it. Whatever brand you pick, use a base coat and a top coat. They help the color grip, smooth ridges and protect the shine. We carry lacquer base and top coats from OPI, including the Infinite Shine base and top coat, plus OPI's lacquer base, top and matte top, and Essie's Couture top coat. See lacquer base and top coats and lacquer colors.

If you use gel, make sure the base, color and top coat cure in the same lamp. Our guide to LED vs UV lamps explains the difference, and Young Nails notes that lamp compatibility and bulb strength both affect how well gel cures.

Keep any of them fresh

Old polish bubbles, drags and dries slowly, whatever the brand on the bottle. Store bottles upright in a cool, dry drawer, wipe the neck before capping, and roll instead of shaking. Makeup.com's expert says bottles older than about a year and a half are the most likely to bubble. For a salon, rotate stock so the oldest bottles go first.

If you are building a nail art kit on top of your polish collection, see our nail art supplies starter list.

Questions we get at the counter