Students invent nail polish that could detect date rape drugs

Your nail polish may soon be able to do more than just make a fashion statement.

The innovative new polish called Undercover Colors would work by changing color when it comes in contact with any date rape drug, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The hope is that a woman will be able to check the safety of a drink by discretely dipping her finger in it.

The product is the brain-child of four male undergraduate students at North Carolina State University who say "Our goal is to invent technologies that empower women to protect themselves from this heinous and quietly pervasive crime."

Although Undercover Colors polish is still in development, it already has thousands of likes on its Facebook page, which describes it as the “first fashion company working to prevent sexual assault.”

Nearly one in five women experience rape at some point in their lives, with 1/3 of those rapes occurring in college aged females, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Date rape drugs like Rohypnol, gamma hydroxybutyric (GHB) and ketamine can be easily slipped into a person’s drink because they have no color, smell or taste, and can cause weakness, confusion and even loss of consciousness, according to Womenshealth.gov.

"​Through this nail polish and similar technologies, we hope to make potential perpetrators afraid to spike a woman’s drink because there’s now a risk that they can get caught," the product creators said.

Undercover Colors is still in development and there is currently no date for when the product will become available.

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