Diamond Overlays bond to your natural nail by linking up with the keratin protein in the nail plate, not by acid-etching and mechanical glue-like adhesion that acrylics and gel systems use. The bonding processes are completely different, with protein bonding being safer, stronger, and more durable. The protein bond that forms on your nail is called a "double covalent bond" by chemists, and is one of the strongest bonds known in all of organic chemistry.