Three options. All different. All available at the same salon. And nobody can give you a straight answer about which one to get because the honest answer is that it depends on what you actually want your nails to do.
So here’s the straight answer. What each one is, what it does best, what it doesn’t do well, and a quick decision at the end that tells you which one to book based on what matters most to you.
Polygel is a hybrid between acrylic and hard gel. It comes in a tube, gets shaped on the nail with a brush dipped in slip solution, then cured under an LED lamp. The result is a lightweight extension that can be built to moderate or long lengths without the heaviness of traditional acrylics.
The texture sits somewhere between BIAB and acrylic, which makes it versatile but also means people struggle to place it mentally when they haven’t tried it. Stronger and more rigid than BIAB, but lighter and more flexible than acrylic. It doesn’t self-level the way gel does, which gives your tech full control over the shape and thickness during application, but that also means the quality of the finished nail depends heavily on how experienced the person applying it is, because there’s no product flowing into place and hiding mistakes the way self-levelling gel can.
Polygel is odourless during application because it cures under light rather than through a chemical reaction. No monomer fumes. No strong smells. If you’ve avoided extensions because of the acrylic smell, polygel removes that concern entirely.
At Aesthete Beauty, polygel nails start from £58. Infills from £53. The products used are HEMA-free.
Best for: clients who want added length with a lightweight feel, anyone who finds acrylics too heavy, people who want odourless application.
Not ideal for: very short natural overlay without length (BIAB does that better), clients who want the quickest possible appointment (gel tips are faster).
BIAB is a builder gel applied as an overlay on your natural nail. It adds structure and strength without necessarily adding length. Think of it as armour for your nails rather than an extension system, although moderate length can be achieved through sculpting or combining BIAB with tips.
The key difference from the other two is that BIAB is primarily about nail health. It protects weak, thin, or damaged nails while they grow, and it can be infilled rather than fully removed each time. Less filing. Less acetone. Less long-term damage to the nail plate underneath.
BIAB is the most flexible of the three options. It moves slightly with your natural nail rather than sitting on top as a rigid structure. That flex means it absorbs daily impact rather than cracking, which is why it causes the least damage over time. But that same flexibility is exactly why it can’t support extreme lengths the way polygel or hard extensions can, because a flexible overlay at long length would just bend under its own weight and the stress of daily use.
At Aesthete Beauty, BIAB starts from £49. Infills from £49. BIAB with Russian manicure preparation from £79. All products HEMA-free and TPO-free.
Best for: strengthening weak or damaged nails, growing natural nails longer, clients who want a natural look and feel, long-term nail health.
Not ideal for: extreme length, very rigid structural work, clients who want dramatic extensions from day one.
Soft gel tips are pre-shaped, flexible gel extensions that get bonded to your natural nail and trimmed to your preferred length. They’re the fastest way to go from short nails to long nails in a single appointment.
The tips come in various sizes and get matched to each of your nails individually, which is more involved than it sounds because a tip that’s even slightly too wide or narrow for your nail bed won’t sit right and will lift prematurely at the sides. A gel adhesive bonds them to the natural nail, they get trimmed and shaped to your preferred length and style, then your tech applies gel polish or BIAB overlay on top for colour and long-term durability. The whole process is quicker than polygel sculpting because the basic shape already exists in the pre-formed tip rather than being built from scratch.
Soft gel tips are lighter than acrylics and more flexible, which makes them more comfortable and less likely to cause severe damage if they catch on something. When they do break, they tend to flex and pop off cleanly rather than snapping and tearing the natural nail underneath, which is a genuine safety advantage over rigid systems.
At Aesthete Beauty, soft gel tip extensions start from £50. Infills from £53. Products are HEMA-free.
Best for: instant length, quick application, clients who want extensions but don’t want the weight or fumes of acrylics, anyone new to extensions who wants to try length without a heavy commitment.
Not ideal for: extreme structural customisation (polygel gives more sculpting control), clients who primarily need strengthening rather than length (BIAB is better for that).
Flexibility: BIAB is most flexible. Soft gel tips are moderately flexible. Polygel is the most rigid of the three.
Weight: BIAB is lightest (overlay only). Soft gel tips are light. Polygel is moderate.
Length potential: polygel allows the most length and custom shaping. Soft gel tips give instant length from pre-formed shapes. BIAB adds moderate length at most.
Application time: soft gel tips are fastest (pre-formed shapes). BIAB is moderate. Polygel takes longest (hand-sculpted).
Fumes: none of the three produce significant fumes. All cure under LED.
Nail health impact: BIAB is gentlest long-term because of the infill system. Soft gel tips are moderate. Polygel is moderate to higher impact depending on removal method.
Infill interval: BIAB every three to four weeks (five to six with Russian prep). Polygel every three to four weeks. Soft gel tips every three to four weeks.
This is the part most comparison articles skip. Rather than listing pros and cons and leaving you to figure it out, here’s the direct recommendation based on what you actually want.
Your nails are weak, damaged, or breaking at the same length every time. Get BIAB. It’s designed for exactly this. The overlay protects your nails while they recover and grow. You don’t need length. You need strength.
You want longer nails right now and you’ve never had extensions before. Get soft gel tips. Quickest application, lightest feel, easiest to remove if you decide extensions aren’t for you. Low-commitment way to try length.
Want custom-shaped extensions with specific thickness, apex placement, and sculpted structure? Polygel. It gives the tech the most control over the final shape and it holds that shape well because of its rigidity.
After strong nails that still look natural? BIAB. Left in its natural shade or with a sheer colour, BIAB gives you nails that look like healthy natural nails but with structural reinforcement underneath that nobody can see unless you tell them.
Need length plus the longest possible wear time? Combine BIAB overlay with soft gel tips. The tips provide length. The BIAB bonds everything together. Add Russian manicure preparation and the whole system lasts five to six weeks.
Switching from acrylics and want something lighter? Polygel gives similar length with less weight. Or go with BIAB if you want to recover your nail health and the length can wait.
Genuinely not sure? Book at Aesthete Beauty and ask Radina. She’ll look at your nails and tell you which option suits what you’re working with, taking into account your nail condition, your lifestyle, how much maintenance you’re willing to do, and what you actually want the result to look and feel like. That ten-second assessment from someone with over 11 years in the industry is worth more than any comparison article, this one included, because your nails aren’t a generic case study. They’re yours.
Is polygel better than gel tips?
They serve different purposes. Polygel gives more sculpting control and holds shape better for custom designs. Gel tips are faster to apply and give instant length with less sculpting time. Neither is objectively better. It depends on what you want.
Which type of nail extension is best?
There’s no single best option. BIAB is best for strengthening and natural appearance. Soft gel tips are best for instant length with light weight. Polygel is best for custom-sculpted extensions. The right choice depends on your nail condition and goals.
Is polygel or gel extension better?
Polygel is a type of gel extension. Soft gel tips are another type. Polygel is sculpted by hand from a tube product, giving more control. Soft gel tips are pre-formed, giving faster application. Both are HEMA-free at Aesthete Beauty.
Can I get nail art on all three?
Yes. All three provide excellent surfaces for nail art. Chrome, cat-eye, hand-painted designs, French tips, glitter, and ombre all work on polygel, BIAB, and soft gel tips. Art is charged separately depending on complexity.
Which is cheapest?
BIAB starts from £49. Soft gel tips from £50. Polygel from £58. All infills are in the £49 to £53 range. The price differences are small enough that the decision should be based on what your nails need, not which saves a few pounds.
Can I switch between them?
Yes. You’re not locked into any system. Switching requires professional removal of the current product before the new one goes on, but there’s no technical barrier to moving between polygel, BIAB, and soft gel tips.
How long do each of these last?
All three last three to four weeks with standard preparation. BIAB with Russian manicure preparation stretches to five to six weeks. Wear time is more about the quality of preparation than the product type.
All three options available. All HEMA-free. All applied by Radina, who has over 11 years in the industry and can tell you within ten seconds of looking at your nails which one will give you the best result.
Aesthete Beauty, 76 Bell St, Dundee DD1 1HF. Book online any time or call 01382 217888.
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We serve clients from across Dundee and the surrounding areas including the West End, Broughty Ferry, Newport-on-Tay, Monifieth, Carnoustie, and further afield.
