What if the next “manicure” no longer required a bottle of varnish but a piece of jewelry slipped onto the tip of the finger? After years of reign of semi-permanent varnish, nails are at the heart of a turning point between health concerns, weariness of in-office appointments and the desire for something new.
Ban on TPO: when semi-permanent varnish is disrupted
From Monday, September 1, a small revolution took place in nail salons: a substance present in most semi-permanent nail polishes, TPO, was banned by the European Union. This compound, previously authorized only for professional use and limited to a maximum concentration of 5% in certain preparations for artificial nails, was classified as a CMR category 1B substance (carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction) by the European regulation known as “Omnibus VII” of May 12. Its inclusion on this list amounts to an outright ban throughout the European Union.
The measure came into force immediately, “without delay in selling off stocks of products on the market”, specifies the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression, cited by RMC. Concretely, even if an institute still has bottles containing TPO, it no longer has the right to use them under penalty of sanctions. For customers, this does not mean the end of semi-permanent varnish, but the end of certain formulas. The industry has anticipated this shift: varnishes without TPO are already offered, using other photo-initiators such as TPO-L, not CMR classified. Several brands have launched “TPO-free” ranges and, like Peggy Sage, some can assure that “all the formulas concerned have already been reformulated without TPO”, we can read on the brand’s website, cited by RMC.
Other paths are also emerging for those who want to limit synthetic ingredients. In an article on the subject, 20 Minutes recalls the option of biosourced varnishes, made from ingredients of plant origin and transformed via natural processes. These varnishes are designed to respect both health and the environment, with brands like Manucurist or Nailberry, even if their duration remains a little shorter: around ten days. Faced with this new situation, an observation is gradually emerging among consumers who want elaborate nails without multiplying products or constraints.
Nail ring: when jewelry replaces nail polish
In this changing landscape, the nail ring appears as a very serious fashion UFO. Symbol of ancient Egypt, this jewel which is worn on the nail made its debut in 1953 in the workshops of the jeweler Mellerio. Half a century later, it fascinated Hedi Slimane, then creative director of Dior, who reinterpreted it for his fall-winter 2004-2005 collection, called . Long forgotten, the discreet object is now making a comeback, driven by the appetite of creators for a manicure that has become a true field of artistic expression.
On the catwalks, his return does not go unnoticed. We rediscovered it ultra-realistic during the Chanel fashion show presented in Marseille, on the roof of the Cité radieuse, for the 2024-2025 cruise collection: candid silhouettes, nails sometimes metallic, sometimes immaculate, and nail rings worn on each finger to accentuate the effect. The jewel also slips into the Diesel collections, in a steel logo version, and stands out well beyond one season. Under the leadership of David Koma, Blumarine explores a darker, Victorian gothic vein, where the woman adorns herself with daring nail rings. At Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry extends the surrealist heritage of the house with the hammered and rhinestoned golden brass, which features a finger adorned with a piercing on the nail. Finally, Jean Paul Gaultier brings sharp glamor up to date with a sculptural nail ring, designed like delicate and futuristic armor.
How the nail ring becomes the unexpected and practical alternative
The craze is no longer limited to the podiums. An extension of style and self, the nail ring is now flourishing in contemporary jewelry collections. “I was getting ready to go to an event when the varnish on one of my nails chipped. I would have liked to have a piece of jewelry to hide it, that’s how the idea came to me when I was launching Asherali in 2014,” Chloé Azoulay explains to Vogue France. After a break, the Parisian relaunched her Asherali brand alongside her friend Johanna Mamane, and the duo established themselves in less than a year in the new jewelry guard with numerous variations in silver and gold, set with white or black diamonds. Other creators see it as a clear field of experimentation: Hugo Kreit imagines provocative jewelry, in which the nail ring, available in silver, gold or varnished in a dazzling red or pink, becomes a portable mini-sculpture. Justine Clenquet, known for her unisex and responsible high-fashion jewelry, has fun with rhinestones, androgynous codes and creates nail rings studded with sparkle.
In the wake of these creators, the nail ring is beginning to seduce all those looking to twist their hands without necessarily using varnish. This jewel is placed on the tip of the finger, at the level of the nail, to immediately give the illusion of a worked manicure, without UV lamp, solvents or drying time. On the product sheets of the brands that market it, the emphasis is placed on the reusable, modular side and the absence of aggression for the natural nail. Some adopt it as a chic emergency solution when the nail polish flakes before an appointment, others make it a real statement worn alone on a finger or in accumulation like a Chanel fashion show. A way to say goodbye, at least from time to time, to bottles of lacquer while retaining the pleasure of dressed nails.
