Published: 08:11 BST, 30 August 2026 | Updated: 08:16 BST, 30 August 2026
If you're partial to a gel manicure, recent reports will no doubt have made for concerning reading.
Earlier this month, a ban on a commonly used type of gel polish came into force in the UK, following research linking the product with fertility problems.
The fears concern a chemical that's used to harden polish under UV light and has been banned in the EU since September.
Now, products manufactured in the UK will be forbidden from containing the chemical – called Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide (TPO). And, as of early next year, salons using polishes that contain it could be prosecuted.
The legislation has sparked online debate about the safety of gel manicures, as well as other popular nail treatments.
It's no wonder. Nail treatments are the most popular of all beauty therapy in the UK, with Britons spending some £160 million on the luxury every year.
So should we all be ditching gel manicures – and are other popular nail treatments any better?
Here, experts reveal what's safest; gel, acrylic, BIAB or the newfangled Japanese manicure taking the beauty world by storm…
UK manufactures can no loner place any new products containing TPO on the market
Gel manicures remain one of the UK's most popular nail treatments, prized for their chip-resistant, glossy finish that can last for weeks.
There are two main types – Shellac and pure gel – the former being a hybrid polish with roughly half the longevity of the latter.
Before the polish is applied, nails are lightly buffed to help the product adhere to the nail surface, before being cured under a UV lamp.
Removal then involves soaking the nail in acetone and scraping away the polish.
Unlike traditional polish, gel products contain chemicals known as acrylates, which harden when exposed to UV or LED light. Until recently, some formulations also contained TPO, an ingredient used to trigger this hardening process.
