Gel nail polish is no controversial stranger. Exposure to UV rays associated with cured gel polish has long raised concerns about skin cancer, but studies conclude that the risk is low. Some of the ingredients in gel polish are known to be skin sensitization factors. When absorbed into the skin, dermatitis can come into contact with it or cause a type of allergic reaction called delayed hypersensitivity reaction.
And this week, the European Union raised clear new concerns. On September 1st, a was announced Gel polish is prohibited Contains specific ingredients – Trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide (TPO) – after classifying “carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction.” Quickly effective, gel polishes with TPO will no longer be legal to sell to consumers or use in salons in the EU.
Almost instantly, Europe banned all gel nail polishes from popping up, and inaccurately stated that de facto fears on social media continued. Some Tiktok users have inaccurately claimed that gel nail polish is common Contains “toxins” It is the “cause of infertility.” Others suggested The US is abandoned for not banning TPOs. None of these are true in the cut and dry sense, but the message clearly instilled the fear of gel formulas on the internet. Before you decide to swear by germanicure forever, we recommend understanding how the EU has reached the decision and how you can safely proceed with your biweekly appointment if you choose (spoiler alert: you probably don’t need to change things).
Meet the experts
To be completely clear, germanicures and nail polishes themselves are not entirely banned in the EU. Also known as TPO, is a photoinator, a kind of compound that converts liquids into solids when absorbing energy from light. According to cosmetic chemist Kelly Dovos, it is commonly used in germanicure because of its cure efficiency and resistance to yellowing.
The EU first identified the TPO as a concern in the spring of 2024, Dobos said, and toxicity data that raised these red flags comes primarily from animal feeding studies. Shamali SingharThis was also noted by the board-certified surgeon and medical director of El Camino Health’s Cancer Program in Mountain View, California. “Studies of animals, not humans, have shown that high concentrations of TPO lead to fertility issues,” she says.
In other words, the EU decided that it should be considered “carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic” based on animals that ingested the ingredients at a high concentration of TPO. Dobos believes the EU is taking a hazard-based approach rather than a risk-based approach. This is, in many words, I believe that the choice may have been made without considering how people actually use gel nail polish. She can explain a little more. “Risk-based approaches help regulators determine whether or not they are really unsafe in how they use their products, allowing for more nuanced decisions to allow products that are useful in the market while protecting public health.” Meanwhile, hazard-based approaches examine whether a substance can be dangerous based on its properties, regardless of how people actually use it. “Therefore, even with little or no actual exposure, the ingredients may still be banned,” Dobos says.
Source: Allure – www.allure.com
