Guide
Which gel polish is HEMA-free or TPO-free? 19 brands checked
Is OPI, DND, Kiara Sky, CND, Beetles, Olive & June or Aprés gel polish HEMA-free or TPO-free? What 19 brands publish on their U.S. pages, line by line, with sources.
Almost every “is this brand HEMA-free?” question has the same answer: some lines are, the rest are not, and the base coat is where the claim usually breaks.
The table below is what each brand publishes on its own U.S. pages, checked on September 30, 2026. It records brand claims, not lab results. We did not test any bottle, and a claim can change with the next reformulation.
Already know you want a HEMA-free system and only need to pick one? Our best HEMA-free and TPO-free gel polish ranking compares the five lines we would restock.
HEMA-free and TPO-free status by brand
| Brand | HEMA-free (brand claim) | TPO-free (brand claim) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aprés | Its HEMA-Free & TPO-Free collection: Gel Couleur color, Gelcoat X base and top, soft gels. Check that your SKU is in it. | Same collection | apresnail.com |
| Beetles | “HEMA-Free System” collection, including a base and top set | Items labeled “HEMA Free TPO Free” | beetlesgel.com |
| CND Shellac | “Formulated without free monomeric HEMA” across the Shellac system | Whole Shellac system | cnd.com |
| DND | A separate “HEMA & TPO Free” gel line. We found no HEMA-free base or top. | Same line | dndgel.com |
| Double Rhythm | No first-party statement we could verify | No first-party statement we could verify | — |
| Elegelli | Whole catalog: “Our products do not contain HEMA or TPO” | Whole catalog | elegelli.com |
| Gaoy | No first-party statement we could verify | No first-party statement we could verify | — |
| Gelish | Color Plus and the HEMA-free Brush-On Builder. No claim found for classic Soak-Off color. | Color Plus and Brush-On Builder | gelish.com |
| Kiara Sky | Gel Pro only. The brand says its standard and legacy gel lines are not HEMA-free. | Gel Pro color. Gel Pro base and top pages state HEMA-free only. | kiarasky.com |
| Kokoist | Bottle ’N Go, Nail Thoughts and some Excel shades; the brand says lines will transition gradually | Same lines | kokoistusa.com |
| Light Elegance | Whole catalog, “HEMA monomer free” since 1999 | Only gels shipped to the EU. The brand says other markets are not affected. | lightelegance.com |
| Luminary | No claim found; the brand lists “Vegan, Cruelty Free, and 5 Free” | No claim found | luminarynailsystems.com |
| Madam Glam | Whole gel range (“100% HEMA-free”) | A TPO-free collection; not every product page shows the badge | madamglam.com |
| Manucurist | Green Flash color, base and top | “TPO-free since 2019” | us.manucurist.com |
| MelodySusie | A HEMA-free color line (the brand says it still contains HPMA), plant-based lines, base and top | Plant-based lines, base and top, poly gel | melodysusie.com |
| Modelones | A HEMA- and TPO-free collection, plus a HEMA-free base and top | TPO-free collection | modelones.com |
| Olive & June | Gel system, “formulated without Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate” | No claim. The color, base and top ingredient lists include TPO. | oliveandjune.com |
| OPI | GelColor with Intelli-Gel and Powder Perfection shades. OPI’s own page excludes Super Strong Base Coat. | GelColor Intelli-Gel and Powder Perfection | opi.com |
| The GelBottle | HEMA-Free Paint (40 shades), HEMA-free BIAB™, Bond Base, Glow Top, ProForm. The original gel formula is a separate line. | TPO- and HEMA-free BIAB™ only | thegelbottle.us |
How to read the table
- “Some lines” is the normal answer. Big houses add a HEMA-free or TPO-free line next to their original one. Buying the brand does not buy the claim: buy the line.
- The base coat is where it breaks. DND’s HEMA & TPO-free color pages say to use any DND, DC or DIVA base and top, and OPI excludes Super Strong Base Coat from its claim. A HEMA-free color over a base that is not HEMA-free is not a HEMA-free service.
- “No claim found” is not an accusation. It means we could not find a first-party statement, not that the product contains HEMA or TPO.
- Lines are changing. Aprés, DND, Kiara Sky and Kokoist have all launched or reformulated lines recently. Check the SKU in your cart, not last year’s bottle.
TPO-free does not mean “no photoinitiator”
Every gel needs a photoinitiator to cure. Most TPO-free lines we checked list a relative instead, such as TPO-L (ethyl trimethylbenzoyl phenylphosphinate) or TMO (trimethylbenzoyl ditolylphosphine oxide). Those are different substances from TPO (trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide, CAS 75980-60-8), so the label is consistent. It is still a statement about one ingredient, not a safety verdict.
The same goes for HEMA-free. Several HEMA-free formulas list HPMA (hydroxypropyl methacrylate), another methacrylate. HEMA-free removes one well-known contact allergen; it does not make a product allergen-free, and product still has to stay off the skin.
Is TPO banned in the United States?
No. The European Union restricted TPO in cosmetics, which is why so many badges appeared in 2025. That EU rule is not U.S. federal law. In the U.S., TPO-free is a brand claim about a formula, not a compliance deadline. Do not throw out a legal U.S. bottle because of an EU date unless your own regulator or employer tells you to.
U.S. cosmetics are not approved the way drugs are, either. A listing, a facility registration or an INCI on a website is not FDA approval, and we will not write that word unless a product actually has that status.
How to check a bottle yourself
- Read the INCI on the product page or the SDS (safety data sheet).
- Look for HEMA (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and TPO (trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide).
- Check the claim covers this SKU, not only the brand’s headline collection.
- If the brand will not share an INCI or SDS, you cannot verify the claim. Recheck when you restock.
Convert a kit in this order: base coat (against the plate), top coat (the layer you file), primer, color, then builder or rubber base if you run them. Converting the color wall first and the base last is the mistake that costs the most.
Does going HEMA-free cost more?
Usually, yes, per milliliter. Compare per ml, not per bottle. On the brand sites on September 30, 2026: Kiara Sky Gel Pro was $13.99 for 15 ml (about $0.93/ml), Aprés Gel Couleur $14.99 for 15 ml (about $1.00/ml), The GelBottle HEMA-Free Paint $19.00 for 20 ml (about $0.95/ml), and Elegelli $17.00 for 10 ml ($1.70/ml). Over a fifty-shade wall, that gap is the real decision.
What we do on this site
If a brand publishes HEMA-free or TPO-free on a U.S. page, we repeat it as a brand claim, with the source. We do not turn it into “safe,” “non-toxic” or “hypoallergenic,” and we do not run chemical analysis. Nothing here is medical advice: a client with a genuine reaction needs a clinician, not a different bottle.
Which one to buy
- A HEMA-free and TPO-free color system: our best HEMA-free gel polish ranking compares which layers each brand covers, INCI and price per ml.
- The wider color decision: the best gel nail polish ranking.
- Structure and base: builders are compared in the best builder gel ranking, and bases in the gel base coat ranking.
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