Gel manicures changed the nail game with their chip-free, high-shine finish and, over the past decade, have become a staple of beauty maintenance for many. But their rise hasn’t come without challenges. In fact, no other corner of the beauty world has weathered quite as much controversy. Gels have been at the centre of repeated safety scares: UV lamps accused of causing premature ageing and raising skin cancer risk; allergy-triggering acrylates like HEMA driving a spike in skin reactions.
Most recently, TPO—or trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide, a photoinitiator used to harden gel polish under a lamp—was banned in the EU from September 2025 after being classified as a Category 1B reproductive toxicant, based on animal data. Great Britain has since followed suit: new cosmetic products containing TPO can no longer be placed on the market from 15 August 2026, with a transitional period for products already on the market running until 14 February 2027.
