Dubai joins global push against TPO in nail polish
Key takeaways
- The Dubai Municipality will test nail polishes for TPO, a chemical recently banned in the EU for reproductive toxicity.
- The move follows Morocco’s nationwide ban and reflects growing global alignment with EU cosmetic safety rules.
- Nail product makers face reformulation challenges as no substitutes for TPO are currently available.
The Dubai Municipality, UAE, has equipped its Central Laboratory with new testing methods to detect trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO), a nail polish ingredient recently banned in the EU for its reproductive toxicity.
The move will allow authorities to systematically screen potentially harmful products before they reach consumers. The testing includes imports and items already available in local markets.
TPO is a photoinitiator commonly used in gel nail polishes to make them harden under ultraviolet light. It is widely used in nail salons and consumer products.
The Dubai laboratory upgrade was announced publicly via the municipality’s official social media channels.
Carcinogenic cuticles
In 2014, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety considered TPO safe at concentrations of 5% in professional nail products.
However, later animal studies in Germany and France found “massive” histological changes in male mice’s reproductive organs and irregular fertility cycles in females, fueling concerns about the substance’s use in polishes.
Nearly ten years later, in 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) formally identified TPO as a “substance of very high concern,” setting the stage for the eventual ban. According to ECHA, there is no alternative substitute for TPO.
The EU’s ban on TPO took effect on September 1, 2025, after it was classified as a CMR category 1B substance — presumed to be toxic to reproduction, carcinogenic, or mutagenic.
Due to the chemical’s widespread use in cosmetic nail gels, authorities warned that the risk to consumers was significant, especially through accidental contact with skin near the cuticle.
Last month, the Moroccan Agency for Medicines and Health Products preemptively banned the substance just before the EU deadline, halting its imports, sales, and professional use nationwide.
“The beauty industry professionals must immediately cease using products containing TPO and ensure these are no longer offered to clients,” the agency said.
