The ban on toxic nail polish goes unnoticed in some salons: "Here we are, just like yesterday."

BarcelonaThe center of Barcelona is full of nail salons, some even just a few meters away from each other, but it's always necessary to make an appointment in advance to ensure a shot, as there's high demand. Just a few blocks from the Sagrada Família, more than a dozen are gathered, and most have customers queuing to be served. As of this week, these shops are no longer allowed to use two products that the European Union (EU) considers toxic and that are present in some semi-permanent nail polishes. Even so, the ban on these chemicals seems to have gone unnoticed by workers and users of some salons in the Catalan capital. Whether because the shop already used non-toxic nail polishes or because they pretend to feel like it's raining, the change in regulations hasn't prevented manicurists' schedules from continuing to be packed, regardless of the products they use.

The ingredients that the EU has banned from production and distribution are diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO) and dimethyl-p-toluidine (DMTA). Given evidence that these are toxic components, they have become part of the European regulation on the use in cosmetics of substances considered carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction. The ban was set in a regulation on May 12, but this Monday was the first day after the deadline to stop using them. In fact, experts have been warning for years that in primary care centers (CAP), it is increasingly common to see patients with "problems and alterations" in their nails due to the use of these products.

According to the Catalan Society of Family Medicine (Camfic), the main complications experienced by patients are the disappearance of the skin space touched by the nail, spontaneous bleeding, and even pain. However, despite scientific evidence and doctors' warnings, it's not so easy to know for sure whether the manicure you're about to order will contain any of these newly banned products. A few blocks from the Sagrada Família, at a nail salon, the employee answering the door claims to be unaware of any changes. Like other salon workers visited by ARA, she avoids commenting on the regulations and indicates that decisions about which products are used are up to her bosses.

Sanctions for producers and distributors

A few streets away, the co-owner of a small nail art shop admits he's aware of the legal changes underway that will prevent some products from entering the EU. Because of this, he says he knows they'll have to update the nail polish they use "soon" to adapt, unaware that he should already be doing so. In a neighboring shop, a customer flouts the new regulations, unconcerned about what's behind the characteristic smell of nail salons, which in this shop is very strong: "Here we are, look, just like yesterday. All that could happen is that when we leave, they'll arrest us." If she were to end up arrested, it wouldn't be for the manicure. Violations of the European regulation on cosmetic products only result in a fine that would affect the producer or distributor.

On the other side of the Eixample, in the Sant Antoni neighborhood, there is also a high concentration of shops, and many of them also seem to have no news of the regulatory change. When asked by this newspaper if they are aware of the ban, some claim they are not, while others simply show customers the products they use to paint their nails. At first glance, it's difficult to determine whether they contain any of the banned substances. The list of the different ingredients in the products is not extensive, but some of the ones the ARA has had access to are written in other languages or do not have any labeling, making it impossible to determine whether they contain TPO or DMTA.

"It's a huge loss."

However, not all establishments do the trick. Tania, for example, owns a beauty salon in downtown Barcelona that's part of a franchise and has been receiving communications from the company for weeks informing her that she must remove products containing banned ingredients. Behind the counter, she has two boxes full of nail polish that, in accordance with the new European regulations, she can no longer use, and she's set them aside for now. Of the nearly 500 products the business has, she's had to recall a total of 293. "It's a huge loss for us," she laments. She explains that they're now studying which colors need to be restocked most urgently, the ones customers request the most, because they can't replace them all at once.

Just a few meters from this store is another one where they are also familiar with the regulations. The owner explains that her suppliers sent her a letter this week with a complete list of the nail polishes they can no longer use. "I've been ordering some colors for months that I haven't received, and I finally understood why: they're stopping producing them," she says. However, she explains that the companies that supply her products have committed to replacing all the nail polishes she has to get rid of as a result of the EU ban. "I don't think it will affect us in any way. The customers are relaxed, and so are we," she concludes.

But not all those who respect the ban have had to change their polishes. One example is a store in the center of the Catalan capital that, when it opened a few years ago, focused on non-toxic products, so it hasn't been affected by the ban. Near this store is another very innovative business. It's from a young woman who decided to open a nail salon a few months ago and was able to choose nail polishes that wouldn't have to be changed: she's been serving clients since June, a month after the regulation was published.