DermFriends | The EU Bans a Gel Polish Ingredient

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Heather Woolery-Lloyd
September 05, 2025

The European Union has banned the gel polish ingredient trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO). Here’s a quick summary:

The European Union has announced a ban on the gel polish ingredient trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO), effective September 1, 2025📅
TPO is a photoinitiator, a compound that helps liquid gel polish harden and cure under UV or LED light💡
The ban is based on the EU's classification of TPO as "carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction" and stems from animal studies where high concentrations of ingested TPO were linked to fertility issues⚠️
The ban applies immediately, meaning gel polishes with TPO are no longer legal to sell or use in salons across the EU🚫
Experts argue that the EU is taking a "hazard-based approach," which considers an ingredient's potential danger regardless of how it's used, and does not reflect the real-world safety of gel manicures☠️
Cosmetic chemists believe it's unlikely that TPO, once cured on the nail, could be absorbed into the bloodstream in harmful concentrations🧪
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has not announced a similar ban and makes its own decisions based on a product's safety when used as intended⚖️

The inaugural Beauty New York event, a new concept from Cosmoprof North America. Here’s a quick summary:

Beauty New York is a new three-day consumer beauty event launching at the Shops at the Oculus in New York City🏙️
The event will run from October 16-18 and is being presented as the "New York Fashion Week for Beauty"✨
The "Beauty Playground" will feature over 40 leading and emerging beauty brands offering hands-on product discovery🧴
A special section called "The Edit" will highlight rising star brands chosen for their clean innovation and cultural relevance💡
The "Impact Awards: Beauty For A Better Tomorrow" will honor individuals and brands that have positively shaped the beauty industry🌟
The event will also offer Master Classes across "Artistry" and "Industry" tracks for attendees with Platinum VIP tickets💎

Both Instagram and TikTok are releasing significant updates to their direct messaging features. Here’s a quick summary:

Instagram is rolling out new inbox filters that allow users to sort their DMs by categories such as Story replies, Unread, and Unanswered📸
Instagram is also adding the ability for users to create their own custom DM folders to help with message organization✅
These new Instagram DM management tools are available to all Professional accounts and personal accounts with over 100,000 followers👥
TikTok has added the capacity to send minute-long voice notes and expanded the ability to share up to nine images or videos in direct messages🎵
A safety feature on TikTok prevents users from sending an image or video as the first message request and TikTok DMs are not available at all to users under the age of 16🛡️
Both platforms are making these changes because private messaging is now the most common way users engage in the apps📲