With These 12 Best Top Coat Nail Polishes, Your Mani Will Remain a Glossy, Durable Masterpiece (2024)

Why it's important to use a top coat on nails

“Using a top coat can provide many benefits for nails. These formulas are meant to help protect and extend the life of the applied nail polish, as well as provide a final finish to enhance the look of nail art (smooth and gloss).” —Victoria Fu, beauty chemist and cofounder of Chemist Confessions

Our Top Picks

Why We Love It: The OPI Plumping Top Coat is a cult favorite among professional nail artists and everyday nail art lovers alike. After all, choosing a trendy manicure design or style only to have it chip the next day is one of the biggest beauty bummers. The volumizing formula is designed to provide a thick protective coat and dry quickly for a high-shine, gel-like finish. According to celebrity manicurist Natalie Minerva, whose clients include Pamela Anderson, Demi Lovato, and Addison Rae, it’s the best top coat for making your nails look professionally painted.

Who It’s For: This top coat adds a gel-like finish to nails, making it great for those who want this look. When brushing this product on your nails be sure to do so sparingly. The polish is very thick, and applying too much can make nails look congealed. To avoid this, dab the excess off the brush before painting it on.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: 9-free | Size: 15 mL

Why We Love It: The Olive & June Super Glossy Top Coat is high-shine and comes with a wide brush that makes applying it easier than ever. It never smears our polish or nail art underneath, and it’s made our DIY manis last longer than any other top coat we’ve personally tried.

Who It’s For: The longevity of this polish makes it a great pick for those not so keen on doing their nails too often. While we’ve never experienced this, it’s worth noting that the shine-level may dull over time.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: Vegan, 15-free | Size: 14 mL

Why We Love It: If you don't mind spending more on luxury nail polish brands, this top coat will be your new obsession. Minerva adores the Dior Vernis Cosmic Top Coat, which she considers to be “nail art in a bottle.” The limited edition top coat is filled with shimmering champagne flecks that actually enhance a milky white mani, or another rich primary color, when worn over top, and adds an ethereal quality when worn alone.

Who It’s For: This top coat adds a glittery gold finish to nails, making it great for a party-ready look. As you can tell from the photo, this top coat isn’t clear, so if you’re looking for something a bit more glassy you should skip this pick.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: 5-free | Size: 10 mL

Why We Love It: Celebrity manicurist Julie Kandalec, Minerva, and nail artist Amy Le agree that when it comes to quick-drying top coats, nothing compares to the Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. “This dries super fast, and it doesn't smudge nail art, which is important especially when you're doing hand-painted art,” Kandalec says. In addition to its quick-drying benefits, Minerva applauds this top coat for its thick formula. “This makes it great for encapsulating heavy art,” she says. Meanwhile, Le can’t get over how shiny it makes nails look. “​​I love how this keeps your nails looking shiny over time—it’s an all time favorite of mine,” she says.

Who It’s For: This top coat dries in a minute flat, making it a nice choice for anyone perpetually short on time. When it comes to any quick-drying top coats, Kandalec emphasizes the importance of wrapping your edges while applying. “Quick-drying top coats sometimes shrink because they dry so fast,” she explains. “Seche Vite shrinks when dry, so you have to cap the free edge of your nail so it doesn't shrink away from the polish. This gives the manicure better protection and better wear.”

Finish: Glossy | Formula: Vegan, cruelty-free | Size: 14 mL

Why We Love It: CND is well known for its UV-cured gel polishes, but according to Le, the Vinylux Long Wear Shine Top Coat works especially well on regular polish. So well, in fact, that she says it “dries to a flawless finish.” Once dry, you can expect for nails to remain chip-free and shiny as can be for at least a week, which is why Kandalec is also a fan. “It dries fast, too,” she says.

Who It’s For: This polish provides chip-free shine for those who typically damage their manis easily. If you have brittle, damaged nails, though, it’s possible that this can make that issue worse because the formula can be drying. To combat this, smooth a cuticle oil onto your nails each night to keep the area well moisturized.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: 7-free | Size: 15 mL

Why We Love It: According to Minerva, the OPI Matte Top Coat is a must for anyone looking to rock long-lasting matte nails. “Rather than having shiny nails, playing around with matte top coats can be really fun—and OPI has a great one,” she exclaims. One coat is all you need for a high-fashion matte manicure.

Who It’s For: This product transforms any polish into a matte finish for those who want a unique vibe to their nails. While thousands of shoppers swear by this top coat, some do report that the finish becomes chalky after a few days of wear. This is more likely to happen if the polish isn’t stored properly, so be sure to keep it in a cool, dry place to avoid this mishap.

Finish: Matte | Formula: 9-free | Size: 15 mL

Why We Love It: While many high-shine top coats exist, Kandalec swears by the Lights Lacquer Totally Gelly top coat, which is designed to have a plumping effect. “I love that this is a super glossy gel-like finish for that super high-end gel mani look at home—without the use of a lamp,” she shares.

Who It’s For: This polish gives regular manicures a shiny, gel-like finish, making it great for special occasions. It’s a relatively new product, though, so we’re unsure how it holds up over months of use.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: Cruelty-free, vegan, 12-free | Size: 13 mL

Why We Love It: Designed to keep nails shiny and protected for up to eight days, the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat is a favorite among editors, artists, and nearly everyone else who loves a manicure. “I love the gel-like finish for long-lasting wear,” says nail artist Hannah Lee.

Who It’s For: Anyone looking to shell out less cash for a salon-quality gel-like mani will appreciate this top coat. The only downside of this drugstore staple is that it can disrupt polish underneath. We recommend using it only on solid color manicures rather than overtop nail art—because watching your meticulously painted art smudge would be devastating.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: 3-free | Size: 15 mL

Why We Love It: Le, who is known for her beautiful nail art, recommends the Essie Gel Couture Top Coat for ultra long-lasting gel-like durability and shine. “This top coat will make your manicure last for up to 14 days, basically equivalent to a salon gel manicure,” she marvels. “You don’t need a UV lamp and you can remove it like regular polish. It’s a game changer!”

Who It’s For: This product can lock polish in place for up to 14 days, making it a good fit for travelers who may not have time to touch up their manis too often. While you can use it over any polish, you’ll get the best results when you use Essie Gel Couture Polish, so you may need to shell out some extra money for a long-lasting at-home mani.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: Vegan, 8-free | Size: 14 mL

Why We Love It: If you have weak, brittle nails, Le recommends NAILS INC. Retinol 45 Second Top Coat, which she assures us does, in fact, dry within 45 seconds. “It’s powered by hardening retinol, which is great for weak nails,” she adds.

Who It’s For: Those with weak nails would do well to choose this fortifying product. To ensure it delivers the best results, it’s important to wrap your edges. After all, as a quick-drying polish, the formula shrinks down, which can lead it to peel and chip more quickly.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: Vegan, cruelty-free, 21-free | Size: 14 mL

Why We Love It: If you don’t want to spring for a base coat and a top coat, Lee says that Sally Hansen Double Duty Base and Top Coat is a great option. “This is a longtime favorite because it’s a base coat and top coat in one—it has great drying time and gives you a nice chip-free manicure,” she exclaims.

Who It’s For: This efficient product is great for anyone who likes to multitask. Though some shoppers claim that the product bubbles, there’s an easy way to prevent that: For best results, wipe off excess product on the edge of the bottle. That way you can apply in thin layers, avoiding bubbling in the process.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: Contains vitamin B5, panthenol, and nylon fibers | Size: 13 mL

Why We Love It: Essie has a wealth of high-quality nail polishes and top coats. According to Kandalec and celebrity manicurist Rita Remark, Essie Gel-Setter is hard to beat in terms of longevity. “This is my all-time favorite,” Remark shares. “It's super glossy and ideal for adding a gel-like finish to your mani. It's also incredible for encapsulating nail art without smearing it.”

Who It’s For: The anti-chip formula is designed to shield nails and enhance longevity with just one coat, making it perfect if you’re running late. Just make sure you allow adequate time for it to fully dry (around 15 minutes) otherwise smudges and dents can appear.

Finish: Glossy | Formula: 8-free, vegan | Size: 13.5 mL