Sunday Night Live with Sofie Devlieger (08-18-’25)
Do You Know if the Products You Work with Really Comply with EU Legislation?
Video Live Session by Sofie Devlieger
In a recent live session, Sofie Devlieger explained the announced ban on TPO in cosmetics.
She discussed the possible consequences for the market and what steps have already been taken to defend the interests of our sector.
What is at stake?
- Product availability: temporary interruptions and phasing out of existing formulas.
- Reformulation and quality: alternatives require time for R&D, testing and stability checks.
- Costs in the chain: higher development and compliance costs can affect the price.
- Continuity in salons and training courses: need for clear transition periods and working instructions.
- Consumer confidence: correct, understandable information to prevent misunderstandings.
Why is this relevant to you?
- Professional: clarity about permitted ingredients, stock planning and training.
- Consumer: certainty about the safety, quality and availability of favorite products.
What actions are already underway?
- Advocacy with substantiated input to policymakers.
- Collecting safety data and practical experiences for proportional decision-making.
- Collaboration between brands, distributors, trainers and salons for continuity.
Positive News from Europe about TPO!
The European Commission now officially recognizes our sector’s concerns about the TPO ban. There is a proposal on the table to adapt the regulations, including:
- More time for exemption applications
- Transition periods of up to 24 months
- Better consultation with the industry
This is a first breakthrough thanks to hard work behind the scenes.
But we continue, of course!
THE TPO SAGA GOES ON…
Why I Wrote to the European Commission
My name is Sofie Devlieger. I am a doctor of chemistry, educator in the beauty industry, and CEO of a wholesale business for professional nail products. Daily, I work with professionals who perform their work with passion, care, and knowledge. People who are trained, who work according to the strictest standards, and who – just like me – believe in safety, innovation, and ethics.
Yet I watch with sadness how regulations that should protect us sometimes have exactly the opposite effect.
Take, for example, the EU’s recent decision to ban the ingredient TPO (Trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide) in cosmetics. The justification? Results from animal testing conducted under the REACH legislation.
And that’s where it hurts – really hurts.
According to the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC 1223/2009), animal testing for cosmetics is prohibited. Not just conducting them, but also using data from animal tests as a basis for safety assessments. This ban has existed since 2003. We work with alternative testing methods, under strict supervision, within a legal and ethical framework.
But now it turns out that animal testing has still been carried out on TPO under the REACH legislation – including for UV printer ink and paints – and that these results are being used to ban TPO in cosmetics.
Let that sink in.
- TPO was administered orally to rats, despite our labels clearly stating “do not ingest”.
- New Zealand white rabbits had TPO put in their eyes, despite the standardized cosmetic warning “avoid contact with eyes”.
- Abraded rat skin was smeared with it, while we explicitly state: “do not use on irritated skin”.
And as if that weren’t absurd enough: 30 humans were also tested by applying and removing TPO three times a week for a month. The result? No irritation or skin reaction whatsoever.
Yet TPO was banned for cosmetic use.
I have serious questions about this. Not just as a chemist. Not just as a distributor. But also as a citizen, professional, and human being. Because this approach – where a ban based on REACH animal testing is implemented over cosmetics – undermines the ban on animal testing in our sector.
It seems to be a legal backdoor. A clever way to let animal testing count in cosmetics legislation anyway. And it’s not just legally questionable, it’s fundamentally unfair to everyone who actually follows the rules.
That’s why I’ve written an official letter to the European Commission asking for clarification. I have also informed FOD Public Health, the responsible Flemish and federal ministers, and the animal rights organization GAIA. In my letter, I attach the complete report on the animal testing – which is purely hallucinatory.
Why Am I Doing this?
Because I have no other choice.
Every day I see colleagues and customers building up their lives and careers after COVID. Who invest in quality, education, and ethics. And then comes this measure, based on an ethically incorrect and legally questionable precedent, which once again shakes our sector.
Maybe it won’t change anything.
But maybe it will.
And if nobody speaks up, nothing will definitely happen.
As Within Temptation sings:
“Someone has to take a stand against evil. Why should it not be me?”
I am not an activist.
I am a researcher. An entrepreneur. An educator.
But above all, I am someone who believes in justice, transparency, and responsibility.
THE TPO SAGA GOES ON…
But as long as no one takes up the fight, nothing will change.