US Panel Advances a Safety Review of Nail Photoinitiators

CIR released a Draft Tentative Report on 11 September 2026 for three acylphosphine oxide photoinitiators used mainly in UV-cured nail systems: trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine OxideTrimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine OxideEmergingTrimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide · Acylphosphine oxide photoinitiatorNail-builder photoinitiator (often called TPO) under active US Panel review with two related light-stabilizer phosphine oxides; conclusion still open.Open in the Index → (often called TPO), bis-Trimethylbenzoyl Phenylphosphine OxideBis-Trimethylbenzoyl Phenylphosphine OxideEmergingBis-Trimethylbenzoyl Phenylphosphine Oxide · Acylphosphine oxide photoinitiatorLight-stabilizer photoinitiator grouped with TPO in the September 2026 CIR Draft Tentative Report; safety conclusion still open.Open in the Index →, and ethyl Trimethylbenzoyl PhenylphosphinateEthyl Trimethylbenzoyl PhenylphosphinateEmergingEthyl Trimethylbenzoyl Phenylphosphinate · Acylphosphinate photoinitiatorLight-stabilizer phosphinate in the same CIR Draft Tentative Report as TPO; Panel conclusion not yet issued.Open in the Index →.[1]

What changed

The Panel previously issued insufficient-data requests on non-nail use concentrations, skin sensitisation at maximum use, phototoxicity outside nail products, impurities, and manufacturing details for the two light-stabilizer grades.[1] Industry has filed some exposure and sensitisation risk work since then; staff tables still mark several of those asks as unmet.[1]

Dictionary roles differ slightly: TPO is listed as an artificial nail builder, while the other two are listed as light stabilizers.[1]

Why it matters

If you use gel manicures, these INCI names are more about how the polish cures than about face-serum actives. The draft conclusion remains open ahead of the 5–6 October 2026 meeting.[1]

Europe

The EU has already acted on TPO separately from the US process: Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/877 restricts it in cosmetics following its CMR classification.[2]

Sources

1. Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Draft Tentative Report on Bis-Trimethylbenzoyl Phenylphosphine Oxide, Ethyl Trimethylbenzoyl Phenylphosphinate, and Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide (release 11 Sep 2026). https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/Phosphine%20Oxides.pdf
2. European Commission. Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/877 of 12 May 2025 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/877/oj/eng