Soon, a fresh manicure could have the potential to save your life.

Mixing chemistry with cosmetics, four male undergraduates at North Carolina State University have created Undercover Colors, a nail polish that changes color when exposed to date rape drugs.

'With our nail polish, any woman will be empowered to discreetly ensure her safety by simply stirring her drink with her finger. If her nail polish changes color, she’ll know that something is wrong,' according to the official Facebook page.

Mixing chemistry with cosmetics, four male undergraduates at North Carolina State University have created Undercover Colors, a nail polish that changes color when exposed to date rape drugs

The nail polish's developers, Tyler Confrey-Maloney, Stephen Gray, Ankesh Madan and Tasso Von Windheim, meet while studying the same Materials Science & Engineering major.

'We were thinking about big problems in our society, the topic of drug-facilitated sexual assault came up,' Mr Madan told Higher Education Works.

'All of us have been close to someone who has been through the terrible experience, and we began to focus on preventive solutions, especially those that could be integrated into products that women already use.

All of us have been close to someone who has been through the terrible experience [of sexual assault], so we began to focus on preventive solutions

'And so the idea of creating a nail polish that detects date rape drugs was born.'

Still in the development stage, Undercover Colors is raising money through a donations page to refine its prototype.

'While date rape drugs are often used to facilitate sexual assault, very little science exists for their detection,' the team explained.

'Our goal is to invent technologies that empower women to protect themselves from this heinous and quietly pervasive crime.'

A recent Washington Post analysis showed more than 3,900 allegations of forcible sex offenses on college campuses nationwide in 2012, a statistic that rose 50 percent in three years.

Terri Lomax, North Carolina State's vice chancellor for research, innovation and economic development, said the Undercover Colors prototype is 'emblematic' of this epidemic.

The nail polish's developers (from left), Ankesh Madan, Stephen Gray, Tyler Confrey-Maloney and Tasso Von Windheim, meet in their last year of college, studying Materials Science & Engineering

'N.C. State prides itself on encouraging and supporting the efforts of student entrepreneurs to address real world problems,' she explained.

The team said that the University has been 'invaluable' in helping with the nail polish's development.

Throughout the process, they have used lab space through the College of Veterinary Medicine, which is one of the only locations in North Carolina where scientists can test DEA Schedule 3 and Schedule 1 drugs.