Why Are So Many People Suddenly Allergic To Gel Nail Polish?

Did you start doing your nails at home during the pandemic? Many salon-goers tried it after a few months in quarantine, and for some, the habit stuck even once salons reopened. According to market data, the home nail care industry grew by $2.25 billion from 2020 to 2024. But as more and more people began doing their gel polish themselves, something else began to grow: the number of people who became allergic to gel.

A nail gel allergy sounds relatively harmless, but it can be super uncomfortable, and it has some surprising consequences. Here's everything we know about how a gel polish allergy develops, what you can do to prevent it, and why it matters that you do.

Why are so many people suddenly allergic to gel nail polish?

Acrylate allergies themselves aren't new — that's the chemical in gel polish causing allergies — but they're becoming far more prevalent as more people DIY their nails at home. "The popularity of polishes that contain acrylates has increased a lot over time. Gel nails and dip nails have acrylates in them. That's what helps it last longer because they're actually these kinds of glue-like materials that harden, [and] it sticks around for a long time. Anecdotally, what I see in my practice, a lot of people who do have that allergy to acrylates have done the at-home nail stuff as well," says Dr. Rabina Walsh, assistant professor of dermatology at Duke Health

She's not wrong — only licensed nail technicians could purchase UV gel polish and dip powders in the past, but now some brands sell to the general public. Licensed nail technicians learn about acrylate allergies during their training, and they practice a lot of prevention methods during a manicure that the untrained eye may not know to replicate at home.

"You learn the best type of gloves to wear to protect you as a nail tech from these allergies. Sometimes, people wear latex gloves, but they don't provide enough protection, and the gel can still penetrate through. You learn what to look for with the allergies as well. You learn that the best thing is to avoid contact with the skin. You need to keep that really minimal for the client and for the nail tech," says Tiger Robson, a nail artist based in the U.K.

How do you become allergic to gel nail polish?

Gel nail polishes contain chemicals called acrylates, Walsh explains. A little chemistry talk here, but before curing the polish, the acrylates are in monomer form, and as they harden under the UV lamp, they form a polymer. Our bodies can become allergic to the monomer form. It's fine to paint on the nail, but our skin has active immune cells, so getting wet gel on your fingers or hands is what causes allergies to develop. "The more you have on the skin and the longer the period of time, you would potentially have more likelihood of that," she says.

"Another factor is improperly removing the gel polish from the fingernails, or over-filing," says Shaylyn Birch, a nail technician based in Utah. "Over-filing tends to take off many layers of the natural nail. Ripping off the gel polish also takes off layers of the natural nail, so it kind of exposes the nail more. Then that product that is uncured seeps into the nails and can get into the bloodstream, and that's kind of how it can also start the contact dermatitis."

Robson also mentioned that at-home artists don't always read the instructions that come with their polishes, or have the light required to fully cure the brand of gel they use. Leaving uncured gel on the nail can also contribute to allergies, she says. Similarly, the ventilation of a studio keeps filed-off gel polish moving out of the space, Robson notes. Most of us do not have the same dust management in place at home.

How do you know if you're allergic to gel polish?

If you develop a rash on your hands or fingers after applying gel, Walsh says you should be suspicious of a gel allergy, especially if it's focused around your nails. But really, any unexplained, itchy rash that gets worse after you get your nails done is a red flag. "Other times, it's not always on the hands, but you can get a rash on the face — particularly the eyelids or other parts of the face can be very sensitive to small amounts of acrylate."

Your nails can also begin to lift away from the nail beds underneath, Robson says. If you notice these signs, you'll want to make an appointment with a dermatologist. If they also suspect a gel allergy, Walsh says you'll likely need to do a patch test, and that it's best to seek a contact dermatitis specialist for this who can test your reaction to a wide variety of acrylates. "The American Contact Dermatitis Society has a find-a-provider section on their website. Look there to find someone in your area who does patch testing and could actually formally diagnose the acrylate allergy," she says. "If you react to some standard acrylates, but you don't react to the ethyl cyanoacrylate, you may be OK to use some products that only contain the cyanoacrylates and not other acrylates. Or vice versa."

How do you get rid of a nail gel allergy?

Unfortunately, once the allergy develops, you're stuck with it. The best thing you can do to prevent symptoms is to remove your gel polish and avoid it in the future — and anything else containing acrylates. That recommendation to avoid all acrylates is why nail technicians and dermatologists take gel nail allergies so seriously. Acrylates are also found in many lash glues and superglues. More importantly, not being able to use products containing acrylates could affect your healthcare options down the line.

"They are in a lot of different things: some dental glues, some wearable diabetic devices like certain insulin pumps or glucose monitors," Walsh says. She notes that bone cements used in orthopedic surgery, like joint replacements, also contain acrylates, as do some glues used to close surgical incisions. If you have a gel nail allergy, you should mention it to your medical providers to ensure your safety. Dentists and surgeons can work with you to find a bonding agent made with a different type of acrylate than the one you're allergic to. "There are different acrylates. Not everybody who reacts to one acrylate would react to all of them necessarily. So it may still be OK, but there's just a lot of ambiguity there," says Walsh.

Birch, Robson, and Walsh all agree that the best way to prevent a gel allergy is to get your manicures from licensed technicians. If you prefer doing your nails at home, there are so many other ways to do it now. There's regular polish, of course, but also press-ons and gel stickers that are moldable but decidedly not in liquid form anymore. If you're allergic to gel, talk to your dermatologist about what other nail care options would be safe for you.