Comparison · Updated 26 September 2026

The best HEMA-free gel polish for UK nail techs

Gel polish is the service that pays the bills in most UK salons, so the colour range is where a HEMA-free menu is won or lost. "HEMA-free" on a label is only a start: for each range we checked what else the brand says it leaves out, and whether a published ingredients list or safety data sheet backs that up. Five HEMA-free gel polish ranges sold in the UK, none of them containing TPO.

By The Nail Tech Guide editorial team. Prices and stock checked on UK retailers on 26 September 2026, VAT included.

The short answer

Our top pick is the HONA Gel Polish at £17.40 for 20 ml, £0.87 per ml. HONA states it is free from HEMA, HPMA and IBOA, publishes both the ingredients list and a current safety data sheet, and the two agree: no HEMA and no TPO. All 158 core shades were in stock, though you need a trade account to buy. Nailchemy is second, with around 300 HEMA, TPO and IBOA-free shades and a matching safety data sheet, and JN Nails is the value pick at £0.73 per ml.

Our number one HONA · Gel Polish £17.40 inc. VAT · £0.87 per ml

Check price at HONA Read the full write-up

Product specifications are as published by the brands. Rankings are based on desk research: specifications published by the brands, prices and stock checked on UK retailers, and how the products compare on the criteria set out for each page.

The ranking

The 5 best HEMA-free gel polish ranges in the UK, ranked

#1 Best overall

HONA

Gel Polish

A 20 ml gel polish that HONA states is free from HEMA, HPMA and IBOA and sells as hypoallergenic. The full ingredients list is on the product page and a current safety data sheet is published, and the two agree: no HEMA and no TPO, with TPO-L as the photoinitiator. HONA does not print a TPO-free claim, but TPO is not in the ingredients. It cures in a minute per coat and the brand quotes three weeks or more of wear. £17.40 is £0.87 per ml.

Why it is here

Ingredients list and a current safety data sheet both published, and they agree
Excludes HPMA and IBOA as well as HEMA, further than most ranges here
£0.87 per ml in a 20 ml bottle, the second cheapest here
158 core shades plus cat-eye and glitter ranges, none out of stock when we checked
Shows 4.9 out of 5 from 63 reviews on the brand’s site

Watch out for: Sold to trade account holders only: you have to log in to buy · No TPO-free claim printed; the ingredients show TPO-L in place of TPO · Contains isobornyl methacrylate, worth knowing if a client has a diagnosed acrylate allergy · Free delivery only over £75 before VAT, and returns within 14 days

Price (inc. VAT): £17.40 · £0.87 per ml
Size: 20 ml
Level: Professional
Best for: A colour wall where every claim can be checked against the ingredients
Price checked at: homeofnailart.com (trade account)

Check price at HONA

#2 Widest range

Nailchemy

HEMA Free Gel Polish

Nailchemy states its gel polish is free from HEMA, TPO and IBOA, and its safety data sheet is consistent with that, naming HPMA as the main monomer and TPO-L as the photoinitiator. There is no ingredients list on the product page. It cures in 60 seconds, soaks off in about ten minutes with acetone and is sold as lasting up to three weeks. With around 300 shades, only nine of them out of stock when we checked, it is the widest range on this page. £9.67 for 10 g is £0.97 per g.

Why it is here

States HEMA, TPO and IBOA free, and the safety data sheet agrees
Around 300 shades, cat-eyes included, the widest range here, with very few out of stock
60-second cure and a soak-off in about ten minutes
The same brand’s HEMA-free base coat and top coat are on our base coat and top coat pages

Watch out for: No ingredients list on the product page, only the safety data sheet · Sold by weight, 10 g, so the price cannot be compared per millilitre exactly · Contains HPMA, which is not HEMA but is worth checking against a client’s patch-test results · Free UK delivery only over £100

Price (inc. VAT): £9.67 · £0.97 per g
Size: 10 g
Level: Professional
Best for: A very wide HEMA and IBOA-free colour range at a mid price
Price checked at: nailchemy.co.uk

Check price at Nailchemy

#3 Longest exclusion list

The Manicure Company

Zero Gel Polish®

The longest exclusion list on this page: Zero is sold as free from HEMA, Di-HEMA, HPMA, TPO and IBOA, and as hypoallergenic. No ingredients list is published, but the safety data sheet is consistent with the claims, naming benzyl methacrylate and isobornyl methacrylate among the monomers and TPO-L as the photoinitiator. The brand quotes opaque coverage, 14 days or more of wear and removal with acetone. All 80 shades were in stock. The UK store price is £11.66 for 10 ml, £1.17 per ml.

Why it is here

Longest stated exclusion list: HEMA, Di-HEMA, HPMA, TPO and IBOA
Safety data sheet published and consistent with the claims
80 shades, all in stock when we checked
Part of the Zero system, with a matching builder gel, base, top coat and primer

Watch out for: No ingredients list published · Dearest per millilitre on this page at £1.17 · No cure time on the product page, and a wear claim of 14 days or more, the shortest published here · Ships from Ireland. The store’s base currency is the euro, and £11.66 is its UK store price

Price (inc. VAT): £11.66 · £1.17 per ml
Size: 10 ml
Level: Professional
Best for: Clients who react to more than HEMA
Price checked at: themanicurecompany.com (UK store)

Check price at The Manicure Company

#4 Best value

JN Nails

TPO/HEMA Free Gel Polish

The cheapest per millilitre here: £10.95 for 15 ml, £0.73 per ml, in a range sold as TPO and HEMA free with more than 200 shades listed. There is no ingredients list on the page, but the safety data sheet is published and consistent with the claim, showing TPO-L rather than TPO. It also shows isobornyl acrylate (IBOA) at 10 to 30 per cent, which JN Nails does not claim to leave out. Each layer cures in 45 seconds.

Why it is here

Cheapest per millilitre here at £0.73, in 15 ml bottles
Sold as TPO and HEMA free, with a safety data sheet that agrees
More than 200 shades listed, very few out of stock
Shortest published cure here: 45 seconds a layer

Watch out for: The safety data sheet shows IBOA at 10 to 30 per cent, a known sensitiser the brand does not claim to leave out · No ingredients list on the product page · The page claims nearly 400 colours; the store lists around 220 · A small brand, with one review on the product page

Price (inc. VAT): £10.95 · £0.73 per ml
Size: 15 ml
Level: Professional
Best for: A HEMA and TPO-free colour wall on a budget
Price checked at: jnnails.co.uk

Check price at JN Nails

#5 Smallest bottle to try a shade

Glitterbels

TPO & HEMA Free Gel Polish

A TPO and HEMA-free range from a British brand with its own training school, sold in 8 ml and 17 ml bottles with 227 shades listed. The safety data sheet is consistent with the claim, naming BAPO and hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone as the photoinitiators, with no HEMA, TPO or TPO-L. There is no ingredients list on the product page. The 17 ml bottle is £14.99, which is £0.88 per ml, and the 8 ml is £8.99. The catch is stock: 80 of the 227 shades were sold out when we checked.

Why it is here

£0.88 per ml in the 17 ml bottle, and an 8 ml bottle at £8.99 to try a shade
Safety data sheet published and consistent with the claims, with no TPO-L
227 shades listed in the TPO and HEMA-free range
Free UK delivery over £50 and 30-day returns

Watch out for: 80 of the 227 shades were sold out on 26 September 2026 · No ingredients list on the product page · The safety data sheet says it may also contain a Bis-HEMA copolymer, which is not HEMA but worth knowing about · No wear claim published

Price (inc. VAT): £14.99 · £0.88 per ml
Size: 17 ml (8 ml also sold, £8.99)
Level: Professional
Best for: Trying shades in small bottles before committing to a wall
Price checked at: glitterbels.com

Check price at Glitterbels

At a glance

HEMA-free gel polish ranges side by side

HEMA-free gel polish compared · Nail Tech Guide, prices inc. VAT checked 26 September 2026
Rank	Product	Key strengths	Price	Level
#1	HONA · Gel Polish	Ingredients list and a current safety data sheet both published, and they agree · Excludes HPMA and IBOA as well as HEMA, further than most ranges here	£17.40	Professional
#2	Nailchemy · HEMA Free Gel Polish	States HEMA, TPO and IBOA free, and the safety data sheet agrees · Around 300 shades, cat-eyes included, the widest range here, with very few out of stock	£9.67	Professional
#3	The Manicure Company · Zero Gel Polish®	Longest stated exclusion list: HEMA, Di-HEMA, HPMA, TPO and IBOA · Safety data sheet published and consistent with the claims	£11.66	Professional
#4	JN Nails · TPO/HEMA Free Gel Polish	Cheapest per millilitre here at £0.73, in 15 ml bottles · Sold as TPO and HEMA free, with a safety data sheet that agrees	£10.95	Professional
#5	Glitterbels · TPO & HEMA Free Gel Polish	£0.88 per ml in the 17 ml bottle, and an 8 ml bottle at £8.99 to try a shade · Safety data sheet published and consistent with the claims, with no TPO-L	£14.99	Professional

#1 HONA · Gel Polish

Key strengths: Ingredients list and a current safety data sheet both published, and they agree · Excludes HPMA and IBOA as well as HEMA, further than most ranges here
Price: £17.40
Level: Professional

#2 Nailchemy · HEMA Free Gel Polish

Key strengths: States HEMA, TPO and IBOA free, and the safety data sheet agrees · Around 300 shades, cat-eyes included, the widest range here, with very few out of stock
Price: £9.67
Level: Professional

#3 The Manicure Company · Zero Gel Polish®

Key strengths: Longest stated exclusion list: HEMA, Di-HEMA, HPMA, TPO and IBOA · Safety data sheet published and consistent with the claims
Price: £11.66
Level: Professional

#4 JN Nails · TPO/HEMA Free Gel Polish

Key strengths: Cheapest per millilitre here at £0.73, in 15 ml bottles · Sold as TPO and HEMA free, with a safety data sheet that agrees
Price: £10.95
Level: Professional

#5 Glitterbels · TPO & HEMA Free Gel Polish

Key strengths: £0.88 per ml in the 17 ml bottle, and an 8 ml bottle at £8.99 to try a shade · Safety data sheet published and consistent with the claims, with no TPO-L
Price: £14.99
Level: Professional

Take away

The short version

HONA leads because its ingredients list and its safety data sheet are both published and agree.
Four of the five use TPO-L instead of TPO. It is not banned, but safety data sheets class it as a skin sensitiser, so clean application matters as much as ever.
Only HONA publishes an ingredients list on the product page; the other four publish a safety data sheet you can check against.
A HEMA-free colour needs a HEMA-free base and top coat to make a HEMA-free service.

Who it is for

This page is for you if…

Nail techs moving their colour menu to HEMA-free.
Salons with clients who have reacted to gel polish before.
Anyone who wants to check a range’s ingredients rather than take the label on trust.

Buying guide

How to choose between HEMA-free gel polish ranges

HEMA-free is not allergy-free

HEMA-free means one of the methacrylates most often linked to gel allergies has been left out. It does not mean the polish contains no methacrylates: others, such as HPMA, IBOA or isobornyl methacrylate, can also sensitise, and a client who already reacts to one may react to others. That is why this page ranks on what the ingredients list or safety data sheet shows, not only on the label. For a client with a diagnosed allergy, their patch-test results tell you what to avoid.

A HEMA-free service means every layer

A HEMA-free colour over a base coat that contains HEMA is not a HEMA-free service. Check the base, the colour, the top coat and the primer, and ideally keep them in one brand’s system, because brands test their layers together. Our base coat and top coat pages show which products state HEMA-free.

TPO: what changed in 2026

TPO is a photoinitiator, the ingredient that starts the cure, and it has been classified as toxic for reproduction. Under the Cosmetic Products Regulation (Restriction of Chemical Substances) (Amendment and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026, products containing it can no longer be placed on the market in Great Britain from 15 August 2026, and cannot be sold at all from 14 February 2027. CTPA guidance, developed with Trading Standards, says professionals may keep using stock they already own. In Northern Ireland the EU ban has applied since 1 September 2025. TPO-free gels use an alternative photoinitiator instead, most often TPO-L.

FAQ

HEMA-free gel polish ranges: questions we get asked

Is HEMA-free gel polish safe for clients with a gel allergy?

Not automatically. A client with a diagnosed acrylate allergy may react to other methacrylates as well as HEMA, and only their patch-test results tell you which to avoid. Compare those results with the ingredients list or safety data sheet. For clients who have never reacted, a HEMA-free range lowers the risk of becoming sensitised in the first place.

Is TPO banned in the UK?

In Great Britain, products containing TPO cannot be newly placed on the market from 15 August 2026 and cannot be sold from 14 February 2027. Professionals may keep using stock they already own, according to CTPA guidance developed with Trading Standards. In Northern Ireland, the EU ban has applied since 1 September 2025.

What is TPO-L, and is it safe?

TPO-L is the alternative photoinitiator in most TPO-free gels, including four of the five on this page. It is a different substance from TPO and is not covered by the ban, but safety data sheets class it as a skin sensitiser, like most gel ingredients. That is why uncured gel should never touch skin, whatever the formula.

Do I need a HEMA-free base and top coat too?

Yes, if you are selling the service as HEMA-free. Every layer that touches the nail counts, so check the base coat, top coat and primer as well as the colour.

How is this ranking put together?

It is desk research, not a lab test. We compare what the brands publish, including their ingredients lists and safety data sheets, check the price and stock on UK retailers on a stated date, and apply the same criteria to every product on the page. No brand pays to appear here and none of our links is paid, which we set out in full on our transparency page.

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