The Truth About the EU’s Gel Ban: Why It’s Hurting Nail Techs, Not Helping Safety
Ana GarciaFear sells. But facts matter more and the truth is, this “gel polish ban” says more about overregulation than real danger.
If you’ve been online lately, you’ve probably seen headlines claiming that gel polish has been banned in Europe because it’s “toxic.”
What’s actually banned isn’t gel itself, it’s a single ingredient called TPO (Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide), a curing agent that helps gel products harden under UV light. And while that might sound intimidating, the science and real-world use, tell a completely different story.
What TPO Actually Is (And Why It’s Safe)
TPO is what’s known as a photoinitiator, it reacts when exposed to UV or LED light, helping liquid gel transform into a solid, long-lasting finish. It’s a small but essential part of why gel manicures are strong, glossy, and durable.
The EU recently classified TPO as a “potentially hazardous” substance under their cosmetics regulations, banning it from nail products starting in 2025. But here’s the problem: this classification was made using extreme lab conditions, not actual salon or home use.
When gel is properly cured, the chemical reaction locks TPO into a hardened structure. That means it’s no longer active, no longer floating around, and definitely not soaking into your skin. In other words, once your gel set is cured, that ingredient is sealed, it’s part of the solid polymer now, not a liquid chemical touching your body.
Used in Dentistry, Used in Medicine — Used Safely
The same ingredient that’s being banned from nail polish is still used in medical and dental materials. Think about that: products that go directly inside the mouth. Bonding agents, UV-cured dental fillings, and surgical adhesives, often rely on TPO or very similar photoinitiators.
If this ingredient was truly dangerous to humans, it wouldn’t be approved for anything that comes into contact with oral tissue or the bloodstream. Yet those applications continue to be accepted because the exposure is controlled, and the material is fully cured, exactly like it is in gel nails.
So why is it safe in dentistry but suddenly “unsafe” in a nail salon?
That’s where the logic of this ban starts to fall apart.
The Real Issue: Overregulation and Fear
The EU didn’t ban TPO because it’s been proven harmful to humans. They banned it because there’s a theoretical risk, meaning there’s no direct evidence of harm at the levels used in cosmetic gels. But the ingredient was labeled “potentially toxic” based on high-dose lab data.
Instead of evaluating the way TPO is actually used, in small amounts, sealed in cured gel, on a non-porous nail plate. The EU applied a blanket rule.
That’s not science; that’s politics disguised as safety.
And who ends up paying the price? Nail techs, small brands, and independent artists.
Thousands of professionals across Europe now have to throw away inventory, switch to reformulated products that don’t perform the same, and explain to their clients why their favorite gels are suddenly “banned.” Meanwhile, larger corporations can afford to reformulate, small creators can’t.
Real-World Risk vs. Fear-Based Headlines
Let’s be real: not everything that sounds “chemical” is bad.
The word “toxic” gets thrown around way too easily online. The truth is, almost anything can be toxic depending on dose and exposure. Even water and oxygen have toxicity thresholds. What matters is how something is used and how much of it your body is exposed to.
In the case of TPO:
- It’s used in tiny amounts, just enough to trigger the curing reaction.
- It’s fully reacted and sealed inside cured gel.
- It’s not absorbed through the nail plate, which is made of keratin, not living tissue.
- And it’s used in the medical field safely, where exposure standards are far stricter.
So, while online panic has people tossing out gels and calling them “unsafe,” the science just doesn’t back that up.
How This Ban Hurts Nail Artists and Small Businesses
This kind of sweeping regulation doesn’t just confuse consumers, it crushes professionals.
Salons now face losing trusted product lines, watching shelves of unused inventory go to waste, and scrambling to find new formulas that perform as well as the originals.
And for many small or independent brands, the cost of reformulation, testing, and certification can be devastating.
All for what? A chemical that’s already been used safely for years, in both beauty and medicine. Without any documented harm at realistic exposure levels.
This ban doesn’t make clients safer.
It just makes running a nail business harder.
A Call for Common Sense
True safety is about context, education, and proper use, not fear.
If regulators truly cared about protecting consumers, they’d focus on training, labeling, and manufacturing standards rather than blanket bans that don’t reflect how ingredients behave in real life.
The nail industry deserves better than to be the scapegoat for fear-based regulation. Professionals deserve science-based policies, not headlines that cause panic and hurt their livelihoods.
Because if TPO is safe enough to sit inside a dental filling, it’s safe enough to sit on your nails.
Final Thoughts
Banning TPO isn’t progress, it’s punishment for an industry that’s already evolved to be safer, smarter, and more transparent than ever before.
Gel nails are not the enemy.
Bad science and fear-driven policymaking are.
At Baddest Babe Nails, we’ll always stand for truth, safety, and craftsmanship — not hype. Our products are made with quality materials and tested processes that keep beauty both fierce and responsible.
Because informed babes don’t buy into fear. They ask questions, know the facts, and always stay pressed, the smart way.