Is TPO banned in Canada? What nail techs should do with their gel stock
Since Europe banned TPO, the photoinitiator in many gel polishes, nail groups in Canada have been asking the same question over the same drawer of bottles. The short answer, from Health Canada's own list as it reads today: no, TPO is not banned in Canada. The longer answer is about why the European rule does not apply here, what could change, and what is sensible to do in the meantime.
Keep patch tests on file — 14 days to tryThe Canadian answer, plainly
Health Canada keeps a Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist: the substances that are prohibited in cosmetics sold in Canada, and those restricted to certain uses or concentrations. We read the whole list on 10 November 2026. Trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide — TPO, CAS number 75980-60-8 — is on neither the prohibited nor the restricted part. The page was last modified on 13 August 2025.
So a gel polish containing TPO is not barred from sale in Canada by the Hotlist today, and you are not required to throw away bottles that contain it. That could change: Health Canada updates the Hotlist from time to time, and any change appears on that page. If you work with gels, it is worth bookmarking.
Why the European ban is not Canadian law
The European Union moved TPO onto Annex II of its Cosmetics Regulation — the list of prohibited substances — by Regulation (EU) 2025/877, which applies from 1 September 2025. Annex II entry 1731 names it by its chemical and INCI names.
None of that is binding in Canada. Cosmetics sold in Canada are regulated by Health Canada under the Cosmetic Regulations, and the Hotlist is the instrument that names banned and restricted ingredients. Posts that describe a “worldwide ban” are describing Europe.
Where the European decision does reach you is through your suppliers. Brands that sell into both markets have been reformulating, and a product line you rely on may quietly change its formula, its curing time or its colour range because of a rule that does not apply in your province.
A sensible stock check
Not a clear-out. A short audit, so you know what you hold and what to reorder.
01
Read the ingredient lists
Cosmetics sold in Canada must list ingredients by their INCI names. Look for “Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide” on the bottle or the outer box, and note which of your gels, tops and bases contain it.
02
Check where each product came from
Product sold in Canada by a Canadian distributor should carry a bilingual label, with the product identity and any warnings in English and French. A bottle with a label in one language only, ordered from abroad, deserves a closer look: who imported it, and was it notified to Health Canada?
03
Watch the reformulations
Ask your distributor which shades are being reformulated without TPO and whether the curing instructions change with them. A new formula under the same name can need a different lamp time.
04
Rotate rather than stockpile
Gel thickens and pigment settles. Buying a year's supply of a formula you fear will disappear is how bottles end up unusable long before they are empty.
What protects you and your clients either way
TPO's legal status aside, gel work involves chemicals you handle every day. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety's advice for nail salons applies to every formula.
Ventilation
A ventilated worktable or local exhaust ventilation where fumes from polishing, gluing and disinfecting can build up.
The right gloves
Gloves made of a material suited to the product in your hand; no single glove protects against every chemical.
Safety data sheets
Keep the safety data sheet for every product where staff can reach it, and train them under WHMIS in handling and storage.
Keep it off the skin
Uncured gel on skin is how sensitivities start. Clean application and careful wiping matter more than any single ingredient.
Records that help if a client reacts
If a client develops a reaction, the first questions are which product was used, when, and whether she had shown sensitivity before. Write the brand and line on her client card after each set, and record any patch test with its date.
In Slotora each client card holds notes, consultation and consent forms she signs on her phone, and patch tests with the date they were done. That will not tell you whether TPO caused a reaction — only a doctor can — but it means you can answer the questions straight away.
TPO questions from Canadian nail techs
Is TPO banned in Canada?
No. On 10 November 2026 TPO was on neither the prohibited nor the restricted part of Health Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist, whose page was last modified on 13 August 2025.
Do I have to throw away gels that contain TPO?
Not because of Canadian law as it stands. Whether you keep using them is your professional judgment; many techs are simply rotating towards reformulated lines as their suppliers change.
Why can't I buy some European gels any more?
Because the EU banned TPO in cosmetics from 1 September 2025, and brands selling into Europe have reformulated or withdrawn some products. That is a European rule affecting supply, not a Canadian ban.
How do I know whether my gel contains TPO?
Read the ingredient list for “Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide”. Cosmetics sold in Canada must list ingredients by their INCI names.
Is it legal to sell clients a gel I imported myself?
Health Canada requires manufacturers and importers to notify it within 10 days after they first sell a cosmetic in Canada, and labels need the required bilingual information. Notification is not an approval of the product. Ask Health Canada if you are unsure whether that makes you an importer.
Where this guide stops
So nobody reads more into it than it says.
- Not a safety assessment
- This page reports what Health Canada's Hotlist says; it does not judge whether TPO is safe. Product safety questions belong with Health Canada and the manufacturer.
- It can change
- The Hotlist is updated from time to time. Check the page before relying on this guide, and look at its date of last change.
- Slotora does not sell gel
- Slotora's product shop is not open to Canadian salons. We have no supplier interest in which gel you choose.
Sources
Every regulatory fact on this page comes from one of these official pages, read on the day shown.
- Health Canada: Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist — https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredient-hotlist-prohibited-restricted-ingredients/hotlist.html · Read on TPO (CAS 75980-60-8) is on neither list. Page modified 2025-08-13.
- Health Canada — Labelling of cosmetics — https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/cosmetics/labelling.html · Read on
- Health Canada — Guide for cosmetic notifications — https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/cosmetics/notification-cosmetics/guide.html · Read on
- EUR-Lex — Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/877 — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/877/oj/eng · Read on European Union law, not Canadian law.
- CCOHS: nail salons — https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/occup_workplace/nail_salon.html · Read on
Keep every set and every patch test on the client's card
Notes, signed consultation forms and dated patch tests, beside an online booking page for your nail work. A monthly plan in Canadian dollars once the trial ends.