A ban on one chemical substance found in certain gel nail polishes has gone into effect in parts of Europe due to concerns about its potential hazardous effects. Experts in science and environmental health have shared their insight on the health risks associated with the ingredient, which is not banned in the United States.
European Commission officials have prohibited the use of trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO) in cosmetic products. The ban went into effect on Sept. 1. This means that nail technicians located in countries in the European Union cannot use a product that contains the ingredient on clients — and any product with TPO cannot be placed on the market.
Additionally, any product with TPO that has already been placed on the market before the Sept. 1 cutoff date cannot continued to be supplied or “otherwise made available to another person in the course of commercial activity,” according to the official European Commission website.
“In other words, professionals in the cosmetic businesses may not sell these products in the EU, nor may they give these products away,” the website states.
Carmen Marsit, a professor of environmental health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, explained to HuffPost that TPO is one of the chemicals used in gel nail polish that “allows the polishes to harden when exposed to ultraviolet light.”
