While many gel nail polishes use a chemical called TPO now banned in Europe, manufacturers are already selling TPO-free versions of their polishes.
Europe, manufacturers are already selling TPO-free versions of their polishes.
In early September 2025, social media posts claimed that European regulators were going after gel nail polish. Some posts, such as this one on Instagram (archived), claimed they were banning a “key chemical” used in producing the cosmetic. Others, such as these posts on Facebook (archived), X (archived) and TikTok (archived) framed the situation as a ban directly on gel nail polish.
According to the posts, there was no “grace period” for the ban — nail salons would have to immediately get rid of leftover stock.
The claim that the European Union banned a chemical in gel nail polish in September 2025 was true. This ban did not ban gel polishes entirely, however, as they can still be produced without the banned chemical.
In October 2023, the European Commission passed a law updating the classification of the chemical TPO (short for trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide) to a category 1B CMR substance beginning Sept. 1, 2025. A CMR substance is a chemical that is classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction by European authorities. TPO was determined to be toxic for reproduction.
EU rules require all CMR substances to banned from cosmetic products. So in May 2025, the European Commission passed a law confirming TPO would be banned from cosmetics, including nail polish, beginning on Sept. 1, 2025, when the chemical was set to be classified as a CMR substance. Starting on Sept. 1, retailers were no longer permitted to sell nail polish containing TPO and nail salons were no longer allowed to use nail polish containing it, according to an FAQ by the European Commission.
TPO is commonly used in gel nail polish to make the gel go from liquid to solid when exposed to UV or LED light, which sells products for nail care professionals. A 2014 opinion by Europe’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety stated that TPO is “rapidly consumed” in this process and that any “minor residual amounts” that may remain are trapped in the nail coating.
That 2014 opinion concluded that TPO was safe when used in nail care products at the concentrations those products use. However, the CMR classification of TPO overrides that opinion, and a new opinion would be necessary to make an exception for TPO’s use in gel nail polish once again.
The ban on TPO does not amount to a ban on gel nail polish in Europe, as TPO-free gel polishes already exist. Various gel nail polish manufacturers already claimed that all of their products were TPO-free prior to the ban taking effect. These polishes can continue to be sold in Europe and used by European nail salons.
TPO is not banned in the U.S., Canada or any other country outside of Europe, and thus gel nail polish manufacturers may still use the chemical in their products sold in those countries.
