A small sample of each polish was smeared onto white cotton fabric and allowed to dry for 24 hours. Stains were extracted in 2 ml tetrahydrofuran (THF) in a sonic bath for 30 minutes. The fabric was removed, and the extracts were centrifuged for 5 minutes at 10,000 g. The supernatant was removed for testing and the pellet retained for microscopic examination. Extracts were also prepared from fresh polish. The solid material in the pellet was resuspended in a small volume of THF and transferred to a microscope slide. The extracts were subjected to thin layer chromatography on Silica Gel 60 plates, developed in chloroform: methanol: water 5 : 1.5 : 0.2v/v/v, and the dyes detected by visual inspection under white light. The heat volatile components, dyes, and pigments of the polishes were compared. Differentiation between certain polish types of the same color was achieved by using a combination of these tests. 3 tables, 9 figures, and 6 references