Statement: Safe Usage of Gel Polish

Acrylic allergies caused by gel polish

There have been recent reports in the media about allergies caused by using gel nail polish. As the market leader in gel nail polish in the Netherlands, Pink Gellac takes these reports very seriously. We want to emphasise that all Pink Gellac products comply with European laws and regulations, as inspected by the Dutch (NVWA) and European Authorities.

As far as we know, the complaints are almost always caused by non-European brands of inferior product quality and with extremely high concentrations of HEMA acrylate. The range of Pink Gellac we offer on our website and in our shops is now 100% free of HEMA acrylates; the acrylate most of the reports refer to.

Gel nail polish always requires acrylates; so it is important that the gel polish you buy contains acrylates that are safe. The acrylates used in Pink Gellac's formula are known to be much safer acrylates compared to the well-known HEMA acrylate, and the use of these acrylates is of course in line with guidelines from the Dutch and European laws and regulations.

Nevertheless, even with these acrylates, if there is frequent skin contact through inaccurate use, an allergy can be built up in exceptional cases. There is no such risk if skin contact is avoided and the polish is properly cured using the right lamp.

This is why the instructions for use apply to all our products. For example, we recommend avoiding the gel polish from touching the skin (and if it does touch the skin, remove it immediately), and choose the lamp that is of the same brand as the polish you are using - this ensures optimal curing. The media attention will hopefully help consumers become more aware of what type of product they are buying and how to use gel nail polish safely.

Risk when using products not complying with EU regulation
Unfortunately, we see many products entering the Dutch market that do not meet EU requirements on safe gel nail polish. These products often contain HEMA acrylates and their concentrations are much higher than legally permitted in the EU. The risks of allergies are logically higher with such products.

The limits set from European laws and regulations are there to prevent building up an allergy. If you use products with very high concentrations, you trigger a possible allergy faster. It is important to know that users who have already developed such an allergy, could possibly also have a reaction if they have skin contact with gel polish with a lower concentration of HEMA or with another acrylate.

Pink Gellac HEMA-free
To minimise the chances of an allergic reaction, Pink Gellac started the switch to a new formula without the ingredients HEMA and Di-HEMA years ago. The additional advantage of these HEMA-free products is that they can also be soaked off faster. By now, our entire range is HEMA-free.
This HEMA-free range contains no acrylates that are restricted under the European cosmetics regulation or that can only be marketed with mandatory warnings.

However, our advice always remains that the instructions for use are followed. We recommend preventing the gel polish from touching the skin and if it does touch the skin to remove it immediately, and choose the lamp that is of the same brand as the polish you are using - this guarantees optimal curing.

Importance of the right lamp
When using gel polish, it is important that the polish cures properly, so that the polish does not come into contact with the cuticle after (insufficient) curing. For this reason, we, and also the European Cosmetics Associations, recommend using the lamp of the corresponding brand. This lamp and polish are compatible with each other, this way you can be sure that the polish is properly cured. Pink Gellac's LED lamps comply with strict European laws and regulations and have been developed to cure our gel polish optimally.

Advice when visiting a nail salon
We advise customers who have their gel nails done in a nail salon to ask what products are used and verify that the products used comply with European laws and regulations. If you want, you can always request a HEMA-free treatment. If you choose a salon that uses Pink Gellac, you can be sure that all products comply with European laws and regulations. And of course, we also offer salons a HEMA-Free range, so that we can offer a HEMA-Free treatment there too.