At the start of the month, the European Union made headlines for banning gel nail polish containing trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO). Within hours, the fear-mongering began. People on social media (and even some media brands) ran with it, sounding the alarms. But I'm here to tell you that there's no need to panic, and you most definitely don't need to cancel your upcoming nail appointment.
Here's the thing: "Gel polish as a whole is not banned, nor are gel manicures," says celebrity manicurist Julie Kandalec. TPO is an ingredient in some gel nail polishes, but not all of them.
But before we get into all that, let's first find out more about the ingredient. "TPO is a photo-initiator that helps the chemical reaction of curing," says Eunice Park, brand development and education director at Aprés Nail. "It's what helps the gel harden efficiently and quickly once put into the LED lamp." But again, it's not present in all gel formulations.
The products used in your service at your local salon most likely don't contain TPO. "Most salon brands are already free of TPO — we just didn't realize it," Kandalec says. We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Now that we're done panicking, I want to debunk a bit more. The EU's decision to classify the ingredient as "carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction" came after reviewing the findings from animal feeding studies. "The lab test animals were fed an extremely high amount of [TPO], which is obviously very different from how a human would use it, which is by being applied to the fingernails — a very small surface area of the body," says Kandalec. This distinction makes a big difference and suggests that you likely weren't in danger even if you were using a polish with TPO.
That said, if you'd still prefer to steer clear of the ingredient, you can easily do so. As Kandalec explains, "Most companies already have TPO-free formulations; it's just not as well-known an ingredient, so we don't hear about it as much as products that are formaldehyde-free, DBP-free, or toluene-free."
Park confirms that Aprés Nail recently underwent a reformulation to make its gel colours TPO-free. "Of course, if you have the option for safer alternative formulas, that is always a bonus," she says.
I, for one, will be continuing with my monthly hard-gel manicures. If you want to learn more about different types of nail services, keep scrolling.
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