Overview
Tattoo artistry has been found in societies throughout history and all over the world. The styles of artistry and methods of inserting ink into the skin can differ but the concept is the same: Deliver pigment into the lower layers of the skin to create a permanent mark. Ask your local tattoo artist for a bottle of ink and it is unlikely that the ingredients will be listed. So what is tattoo ink made of?
Composition
The Royal Society of Chemistry says that all inks are basically the same, consisting of a pigment or dye suspended in a solvent, also known as a carrier. Nonsoluble pigments are used in tattoo ink and chosen for their color properties. Carriers are chosen for their ability to suspend the pigment evenly throughout without clumping.
Carriers
Tattoo 411 lists some carrier ingredients used in tattoo ink as glycerin, propylene glycol and even witch hazel. In addition to the way in which the carrier distributes the pigment, carriers may also be chosen for pathogen-inhibiting qualities. A common carrier in homemade tattoo ink is vodka.
Colors
The pigment in a tattoo ink determines its color. The FDA states that due to other priorities it does not actively regulate the ingredients of tattoo ink and leaves the monitoring of tattoo parlors to local governments. The FDA does point out that many ingredients in tattoo ink are not approved for contact with the skin’s surface, let alone injection, and that some hues are attained with industrial colorings intended for printing ink or paint. Ingredients may include carbon, vegetable derivatives or metallic oxides.
Despite the off-putting nature of the ingredients, many people undergo tattooing every day and the FDA reports very few complaints of adverse reactions.
Removal
Tattoos are intended to be permanent but it’s likely that there has been tattoo regret for just a few minutes less than there has been tattooing. Tattoo Health says that the most popular form of removal today is laser removal which works by focusing concentrated colored laser light on the tattoo. The pigment particle is broken apart into pieces that can be cleaned by the body’s natural systems. The color, age and size of the tattoo are all factors that determine to what extent it can be faded or erased.
Alternatives
With the advancement of commercial compounds, some interesting properties have been imparted on novelty tattoo inks. Tattoo Artist, a print and online publication, advertises UV black light reactive ink that may be injected into the skin and remain invisible unless the individual is exposed to black light. Also advertised are inks that are formulated to be highly susceptible to lasers, thereby making the removal process much more effective than in formulations intended to be truly permanent.
About this Author
Jill Dombrauckas currently writes for a biotech company in San Diego. Her work is published in scientific journals such as Biochemistry and medical websites such as Genetic Engineering News and Medical News Today. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton and Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
