TPO, or Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide, is a chemical mainly used in gel nail polishes to help them dry quickly and achieve a glossy finish. Starting from 1 September 2025, the use of this substance will be prohibited in all cosmetic products sold or used in the European Union.
This means that cosmetic companies will no longer be permitted to include it in their formulas, and existing products on the market containing TPO, they will have to be withdrawn or will no longer be legally marketable, according to the European Commission.
TPO, or Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide, has long been a popular photoinitiator (a substance that absorbs light) in gel nail polishes due to its fast curing and glossy finish. However, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has raised concerns about its safety, particularly its potential to cause skin sensitisation and other health risks. As a result, the EU has decided to ban TPO in all cosmetic formulations starting September 2025.
From 1 September 2025, both placing and making available on the market of cosmetic products containing TPO are prohibited.
This means that new products containing TPO cannot be placed on the market from that date onwards and that all products already placed on the market before that date cannot continue to be supplied, transferred, or otherwise made available to another person in the course of commercial activity. In other words, professionals in the cosmetics industry may neither sell these products in the EU nor give them away.
From 1 September 2025 onwards, all placing on the market and making available in the course of commercial activity must stop, even for products already in stock or purchased before that date.
Seek compliant alternatives from suppliers.
