EU
Prohibited
Annex II · entry 1731
Rule
Prohibited in cosmetic products
Regulation
(EU) 2025/877
Applies from
1 September 2025
Stock and salons
No sell-through: from that date it may not be sold, and a salon may not use it on clients.
Is TPO banned in cosmetics? In the EU, yes. In Türkiye, restricted.
TPO (trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide) is the photoinitiator that hardens gel nail polish under UV light. It has been prohibited in EU cosmetics since 1 September 2025, with no period to sell off stock. Türkiye’s annexes still list it as restricted: artificial nail systems, up to 5%, professional use only.
Türkiye
Restricted
Ek III · entry 311
Rule
Restricted
Product type
Artificial nail systems
Maximum
5.0%
Other
Professional use only
Label wording
“Sadece profesyonel kullanım içindir. Cilt ile temasından kaçınınız. Kullanma talimatını dikkatle okuyunuz.”
Türkiye’s annex still carries the EU restriction from before 2025. A product made in Türkiye for the EU market must not contain TPO.
What it is. The EU annex entry.
INCI name | Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide |
|---|---|
Chemical name | diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide |
CAS | 75980-60-8 |
EC | 278-355-8 |
EU entry | Annex II · 1731 · (EU) 2025/877 |
Entry updated | 18/06/2025 |
The EU entry is from the Commission’s CosIng file of 13 Oct 2026; Türkiye’s from the current annex text on mevzuat.gov.tr, read 2 Nov 2026.
Why. The reason behind the rule.
TPO is classified as toxic for reproduction, category 1B, under the CLP Regulation. Article 15 of the Cosmetics Regulation prohibits substances in that category, so the EU moved TPO from its restricted list (Annex III) to the prohibited list (Annex II).
Questions about this ingredient.
Can gel polish containing TPO still be sold in the EU?
No. From 1 September 2025 it may not be placed on the market or made available, stock included, and a salon may not use it on clients. The Regulation gives no sell-through period for CMR substances of category 1A or 1B.
Is TPO allowed in Türkiye?
Türkiye’s annex lists TPO as restricted: artificial nail systems, up to 5%, professional use only, with the warning text on the label. That is the EU rule from before 2025. A product for the EU must not contain TPO.