The European Union's recent ban on a nail polish chemical has sparked a discussion about the safety of gel manicures, with insights from University of Cincinnati expert Kelly Dobos surfacing on the subject. In a TIME article, as shared by UC News, Dobos explained that the banned ingredient, trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO), isn't a cause for immediate alarm, despite its prohibition.
Addressing concerns, Dobos—who serves as a cosmetic chemist and adjunct instructor at UC's James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy—highlighted that most of the research on TPO involves feeding it to rodents or injecting it into the skin, which is different from how customers experience the chemical during gel manicures. "That's not really how we're exposed to it in a nail gel," Kelly Dobos told TIME via UC News. She reiterated that "Your systemic exposure is very low, because it's also reacted away when you're exposing it to that light in the nail lamp." This suggests that the process of curing the gel under a lamp may reduce the chemical's potential risks.
While the EU has taken a firm stance against TPO, consumers still looking to sport the durable shine of gel nails have alternatives. Dobos mentioned that TPO-L, a relative of the banned substance, is a photoinitiator still approved within the European Union. Salons using these safer alternatives may provide concerned customers with a viable option.
Given that the bottles containing these chemicals are typically kept behind counters or in drawers at nail salons, with their constituents hidden in professional jargon, Dobos recommends a proactive approach for those concerned about the products used during their manicure. The expert's advice was simple yet effective: ask to see the product packaging yourself. “If you're concerned about what they're using, ask, because that’s generally not right in front of you at the nail salon,” Dobos suggested in a statement obtained by TIME as documented by UC News.
