Earlier this week, a European Union ban on an ingredient widely used in many gel nail polishes went into effect. The chemical known as TPO gives gel polish a glossy shine as it quickly hardens under UV or LED lights.

Brussels

The European Union has implemented a ban on TPO, a chemical commonly used in gel nail polishes to achieve a glossy, long-lasting finish. The ban follows findings of reproductive toxicity in animal studies, though experts note these studies may not directly reflect typical human exposure through nail products. 

In the United States, TPO remains allowed, with regulatory agencies focusing on risk-based assessments that consider the actual exposure levels in cosmetic use. Consumers seeking to avoid TPO can look for alternative products or ask salons about the ingredients in their gel polishes. Some brands are already reformulating products to comply with global regulations.

Chemist explains concerns over gel nail polish as EU bans ingredient

If you are planning to get a manicure this weekend, you may want to rethink the gel nail polish. Earlier this week, a European Union ban on an ingredient widely used in many gel nail polishes went into effect. The chemical known as TPO gives gel polish that glossy shine as it quickly hardens under those UV or LED lights. But we should point out, TPO, it has not been banned here in the United States. In a statement to CBS News, the Food and Drug Administration said, in part, All right, for more on all this, let's bring in Kelly Dobos. She's a cosmetic chemist at the University of Cincinnati. Kelly, I'm really glad that we're talking to you about this because I, like many people, get these nail polishes. What exactly is TPO? Why is it considered to be harmful? How worried should we be? Okay, so TPO is trimethylbenzoidal diphenylphosphine oxide, so you can see why we call it TPO. Yes. That's a mouthful. And it's a photo initiator. So what it does is it kicks off the reaction that hardens or cures the gel polish when you put it under the UV light. And that gives it that really tenacious film that's, you know, really strong and lasts, you know, your manicure will last about two weeks with that gel formula. TPO has been banned by the European Union because they found some reproductive toxicity issues in animal studies. And these studies are often things like animal feeding studies, which really aren't a relevant form of exposure compared to when we're using it in a nail gel formula. So that's kind of a hazard-based approach to assessment of safety of ingredients. A more risk-based safety assessment includes how we're being exposed to it, whether that's in nail or whether it would touch the skin, how much we're being exposed to, the percentages. And in this case, TPO is being used in this nail gel, right, at a small percentage. The nail is very hard to penetrate. And you know, it's not necessarily, you know, a relevant exposure scenario when we think about animal feeding studies. So that's really that hazard-based approach is why they're banning this material. So I think a lot of people say anytime you hear about something being a carcinogen or harmful to your reproductive health, they think, I don't want to do anything like this. Should people stop getting gel manicures? And if they do want to stay away from this, what are some TPO-free alternatives that they can turn to? Sure. So there are some different polishes that use alternative photo initiators. There's things like TPO-L, which is a modified form of TPO. There are other polishes like Dazzle-Dry, which is a different type of formula altogether. And there's even still traditional, you know, old-fashioned nail polish, which has been around since the 1920s and has a really long history of safe use. One thing to keep in mind is at a salon, you don't always get to, you know, don't see a ingredient statement visible. So you're going to want to ask if you'd like to avoid the TPO in the gel polish, make sure to ask your salon what type of polish they're using. And real fast, before we let you go, do you think the use of TPO in cosmetics will be banned in the United States? I don't foresee the United States banning TPO because they're, you know, typically looking at that risk-based assessment. They're thinking about how you're exposed, how much you're exposed to, and so forth. I have seen a lot of state-level activity, though, regarding cosmetic ingredients. So I possibly might see some state-level activity regarding this material. And many brands are already starting to formulate or use alternatives so that they can meet, you know, global compliance with these formulas. That's good to hear. Kelly Dobos, thanks so much for being with us. Thank you.

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Breakdown