There isn’t any such ban within the U.S., however you would possibly wish to change anyway.

A ban on TPO (trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide) within the E.U. went into impact Monday after research linked it to reproductive hurt. This ingredient usually options in gel nail polish—a well-liked polish selection that dries quick, lasts for weeks, and provides nails a shiny sheen that many love.

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The ban doesn’t presently impression the U.S.

Gel nail polish linked to fertility points

Studies performed on animals led the E.U. to label TPO as “carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction.” They introduced the ban in May 2024, and it took impact on Sept. 1, 2025.

This doesn’t imply all gel nail polish is banned from the impacted nations. Brands like Intelli-Gel, Aprés Nail, and Aimeili have TPO-free varieties obtainable, and extra firms will seemingly comply with swimsuit.

If you reside exterior of the E.U., your nail routine shouldn’t change in any respect. If you’re involved about TPO, you’ll be able to change to an alternate or restrict your publicity by growing the time between every appointment.

ProfessionalNails notes that gel polish with out TPO might take longer to dry and should trigger a brief yellowing with very gentle colours or clear polishes. However, this could vanish inside just a few hours.

According to dermatologist Dr. Hannah Kopelman, analysis on human publicity to TPO is ongoing. However, the outcomes from the animal research had been alarming sufficient to warrant a “precautionary” ban.

“The European Union is banning it out of caution, since even though we don’t yet have large-scale human studies proving harm, the potential risks were enough to warrant stricter regulation,” she instructed Wellness Pulse. “From a medical perspective, I view this as more of a precautionary move rather than a response to strong human evidence.”

“Seeing this minutes after I booked a hard gel manicure”

On X, some gel nail polish followers expressed alarm on the information that this frequent ingredient would possibly trigger fertility issues. With over 100 million girls utilizing some sort of nail polish within the U.S. alone, there’s loads of fear to go round.

User @billybad_ASH utilized a related gif to specific how they felt after they came upon “they banned gel nail polish in Europe because it’s linked to negatively affecting reproductive health.”

“This news has shocked my mother-in-law,” reported @DFBHarvard. “She depends on gel nail polish at her favorite salon every two weeks!”

“Seeing this minutes after I booked a hard gel manicure,” stated @afroandcoffee.

Others already knew in regards to the risks and stopped utilizing TPO-based polish a while in the past.

“I stopped getting my nails professionally done because of this,” wrote @GeauxGabrielle.

“Gel nail polish is EXTREMELY harmful to the human body. They’re making all nail salons throw out every product. No sell off period.”

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