TATTOO INKS: WHAT ARE THEY MADE OF?

Having a tattoo nowadays is like buying candy from a grocery store. Everyone got one, and those who don’t have one yet, can’t wait to get inked. But have you wondered what tattoo inks are made of? Are they safe to use?

Tattoo inks are substances that are pushed or injected into the skin by a rapidly vibrating needle from the tattoo machine. To be specific, tattoo inks are not ink, they are actually pigments made from metal salts, pulverized bone and even plastics. These pigments are dry and are mixed with a carrier solution (liquid) for easy delivery of the pigment to the skin. In the past, you wouldn’t believe the types of carrier solutions they use like vodka, Listerine and even toxic substances like anti-freeze and formaldehyde.

Today, tattoo inks are available ready-made or pre-mixed, no need to mix up a batch which is quite messy and not really hygienic. But you may find some tattoo artist mixing up their own colour especially more experienced ones.

Below are just a few pigments used for tattoo inks.

• Black: Made of carbon, iron oxide or log wood. Black pigment can naturally made from powdered jet, wustite, bone black, magnetite crystals or soot.
• White: Made from white lead, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or barium sulfate.
• Red: Made from iron oxide, cinnabar, cadmium red or naptol. Red pigments carry a risk of allergic reactions.
• Blue: made from cobalt blue, azure blue or Cu-phtalocyanine.
• Yellow: Made from ochres, cadmium yellow, curcuma yellow, chrome yellow or disazodiarylide. Curcuma is derived from the ginger family like turmeric curcurmin. When an artist use yellow pigments, they use a lot of it to achieve a bright yellow color, hence giving it a high risk of reactions.
• Brown: Made from ochre. Ochre is actually clay.

Tattoo inks are not regulated, but most on the pigments are approved for use in foods, cosmetics and medical devices. However, it is important to note that ink allergy is very rare.