Nine builder shades that answer the HEMA free question
Two Cre8tion sets arrived this week with HEMA free and TPO free printed on the box, alongside a 24 color Tea and Coffee cat eye wall in fall caramels. September 1 is one year since the EU pulled TPO out of cosmetic products, and the question has travelled to American chairs whether or not the rule did.
The label your clients started reading
On September 1 last year the EU removed TPO, a photoinitiator that cures gel under the lamp, from cosmetic products after classifying it as a presumed reproductive toxicant. American salons were not covered by that rule and still are not. What crossed over was the conversation: clients who read one headline now turn the bottle around, and the tech who can answer in a sentence keeps the appointment.
HEMA is the separate half of the same conversation. It is the monomer that gives gel its grip, and it is also the most common cause of contact allergy in both clients and techs, which is why HEMA free formulas have moved from a niche request to a shelf a salon is expected to have. Worth being straight about it: HEMA free is not the same as allergy proof, because other acrylates in a formula can still sensitize. The honest version of the answer is better business than the confident one.
Cre8tion's new combo puts nine of those shades in one box. If you already stock singles, the arithmetic is worth a look before you reorder: the 2oz jars in this combo work out at $23.61 each, and the 1oz builder gel singles on the shelf are $16.95. Twice the product for under seven dollars more.
9 jars, 2oz each, low heat cure
$212.50
Nine shades covering clear, milky white and the warm nudes that carry a French or an overlay, so one box furnishes a whole builder station rather than one popular color. Low heat matters here more than the shade range does, because the spike is the reason a client pulls her hand out of the lamp.
Nine shade combo $212.50 Builder gel singles from $16.95
Tea and Coffee, 24 colors, already swatched
Shades 428 through 451 run rose gold, caramel, copper and espresso, which is the fall request list before anyone asks for it. The kit ships with the printed board in the photograph, so the wall goes up the day it lands instead of the week after.
Tea and Coffee kit $210 All cat eyeFive more that came off the truck this week
The rest of the week reads like a booking sheet for September. Wedding season peaks through to October and the fall rebook wave starts the week after Labor Day, so the things that ran out in August are the things to count now. Two full color systems, one top coat, and two back bar items that never make a wish list and always stop a service when the drawer is empty. If you are refreshing a color wall rather than a station, the cat eye gel polish and gel nail polish shelves both moved this week, and the dip powder nails range is where the Chisel set below lives.
Cre8tion Cat Eye Tea and Coffee Kit, 24 Colors
$210
Chisel Fallen in Love, Gel and Powder, 36 Colors with 2 Color Books
$499
Gelish Color Plus No Cleanse Top Coat 0.5oz
$9
Sunny Stainless Steel Foot File, Ultra 7.0
$8.95
Infa-Lab Nick Relief Styptic Spray 0.47oz
$4.50
What the case price actually saves you
Three of this week's arrivals carry real tier pricing, so the per unit number changes with the box you buy. These are the live figures, not a rounded estimate.
| Item | Single | Pack | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gelish No Cleanse Top Coat | $9 | 6 for $52.50, $8.75 each | 72 for $612, $8.50 each |
| Sunny Foot File Ultra 7.0 | $8.95 | 12 for $105, $8.75 each | Call for pallet |
| Infa-Lab Nick Relief Spray | $4.50 | 12 for $51, $4.25 each | Call for pallet |
Stocking for September, not for August
Builder before color. Overlay and structured manicures are what the rebook wave books, and a builder station with one shade in it does not get used.
Count the top coat first. It is the item every service touches and the one nobody counts until a Saturday.
Pedicure tools wear out on a schedule. A file that has done a summer of heels is not the file you want in September.
Buy the board, not just the bottles. A color wall a client can point at closes faster than a shade name she has to imagine.
Two earlier posts pair with this one if you are building the season out properly. The fall nail colors guide covers the wider autumn drop, and safe gel and dip removal is the one to hand a new tech before they touch a builder overlay.
Questions techs actually ask about this
Is gel polish with TPO banned in the United States?
No. The TPO restriction that took effect on September 1, 2025 is an EU cosmetic regulation. It does not apply to salons or retailers in the United States, and products containing TPO remain legal to sell and use here. Products labeled TPO free are formulated to that EU standard, which is why more manufacturers are printing it on the box.
Does HEMA free mean a client cannot react?
It does not. HEMA is the most common single cause of gel related contact allergy, so removing it takes out the biggest factor, but other acrylates in a formula can still sensitize. Treat HEMA free as a meaningful reduction in a known risk, not a guarantee, and keep your usual practice of avoiding skin contact and curing fully.
Is the nine shade combo better value than buying singles?
Per ounce, yes, and by a wide margin. The combo is $212.50 for nine 2oz jars, which is $23.61 a jar. The 1oz singles are $16.95. You are paying about 39 percent more per jar for double the product, so the combo lands near $11.81 an ounce against $16.95 for a single.
What does low heat change in practice?
It reduces the exotherm, the heat spike a gel gives off while it cures. That spike is the reason a client pulls her hand out of the lamp part way through, which leaves you with a lifted or under cured overlay. On thicker builder applications it is the difference between a comfortable cure and a restart.
Can I get case pricing on the new arrivals?
On several of them, yes, and the tiers are shown on each product page. The Gelish top coat runs $9 single, $8.75 in a six pack and $8.50 by the case of 72. For anything without a published case tier, call 714-868-7088 and we will quote it.