The EU’s ban on TPO in cosmetics took effect on Saturday, August 15, 2026, ending the sale of new products containing the gel manicure ingredient. The rule does not ban all gel manicures, but it does stop manufacturers from putting fresh TPO products on the market.
That is why salons and nail brands are searching for answers now. TPO, or Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide, is the ingredient that helps gel polish cure under UV or LED lamps and gives it a long-lasting finish. The change is being read widely as a gel nail ban, but the restriction is narrower: it applies only to that one ingredient in cosmetics.
The commercial impact is immediate for manufacturers, while salons get a short run-down period. Existing TPO stock can still be used until February 14, 2027, which is the off-the-shelf deadline. After that date, products containing the ingredient should be out of circulation in salons as well.
The ban was triggered by studies that led EU regulators to reclassify TPO as a Category 1B CMR substance with reproductive implications, a classification that means it is prohibited for use. Dr Christine Hall said that reclassification automatically makes the ingredient off-limits. Yet the evidence behind the move is not a simple one-line warning. The studies were completed in animals, not humans, and involved high doses, including ingestion of TPO.
Caroline Rainsford drew attention to the gap between the regulatory decision and the amounts used in nail products, saying the ingredient is over a thousand times less than the amount that could have any negative effect on fertility. She also said nail products are applied to the nail, which makes absorption into the body even smaller. In other words, the ban is built on hazard classification, not on a claim that everyday salon use produces that level of harm.
Dr Hall added that once nails have hardened, the TPO is locked safely into a matrix, which is one reason gel manicures have remained popular despite the regulatory shift. BIAB, short for Builder in a Bottle, sits in the same broader conversation because it is a soak-off gel designed to strengthen and structure the natural nail without extensions. Giorgia Cappella said it does not require harsh chemicals or heavy filing, but the wider point is simpler: the new rule targets TPO, not every gel system on the shelf.
What remains unclear is how much TPO stock is still sitting in salons and how many products across the EU still contain it. That is the practical question now facing brands and technicians: the ban has started, the sale of new TPO cosmetics has stopped, and the clock on existing stock is already running toward February 14, 2027.
