EU’s Ban On Tattoo Ink: Breaking Down the Chemistry

Recently, a handful of tattoo inks have been banned by the European Union for safety reasons. Blue 15:3 and Green 7 made its way onto the banned list and tattoo artists are having a difficult time finding replacements for these two colors. Here’s what chemistry has to say about these precarious pigments.

#tattoos #tattooink #inkban #eutattooinkban

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[ACSReactions]

UV-sensing pigments, glucose-monitoring tattoos… There's some really amazing research out there on how we can use tattoo inks for cool new uses. If you could imbue your tattoo with any special power, what would it be?

[Spymask-AoC]

"not unless you want your tattoo to change brom blue to green" no we do want that. We do want color changing tattoos very much yes.

[unvergebeneid]

I would expect that stuff you legally put in you body has been demonstrated to be safe. Crazy this hasn't been the case before.

[oscitancy]

Not sure why the algorithm brought me here, but I'm glad it did. This video was interesting and highly informative.

[ColaKitty]

I'd love a glucose monitoring tattoo that looks like a leaf, I think the color changing effect would be cool for some limited designs. It wouldn't even matter if non diabetics get those tattoos, it would increase demand and ensure production for a while at least

[DrBagPhD]

Blows my mind that something put in our bodies are so poorly regulated, I'm sure the industry will be able to adapt and find solutions for currently problematic pigments.

[jonjohns]

I’m ashamed to admit this is the most I’ve learned about ink in 13 years of tattooing

[SteinGauslaaStrindhaug]

This could be a very good thing for tattoos in the long term; if this creates a demand for researching and creating tattoo specific pigments we could possibly get not only safer inks but also perhaps inks that interact optically better with the skin to create more vibrant colours; inks that are permanent but easier to remove, maybe even pigments that can be "turned on and off" like e-ink using magnets or something like that, etc.

Also tattoos with medical purposes like you discussed sounds pretty cool too. I have little to no feeling or awareness of hunger so I often just forget to eat until I'm nauseous; so while I'm not really into tattoos, if I could get a subtle colour changing tattoo bracelet that changed colour when my blood sugar started to drop to remind me to eat and drink, that would be pretty cool.

[waldobuyck]

I am european tattooeer in belgium and there are already Alternative inks that we use that are regulated 😉

[Smuglu]

It's somehow comedic that when people discover that certain colorings have contained substances that might not be the best idea to put under your skin, the main worry is that you can't make as colorful tattoos anymore..

..Like ???

[tristanwegner]

I was so surprised when I learned there was no regulation for these colors for a long time. I mean a lot of the ingredients would not be allowed in food or medical devices, but direct injection in the skin was ok??

[MarkiusFox]

When I saw phthalocyanine, I knew there was going to be cyanide involved.

I was _incredibly_ fortunate I didn't die from eating a slice of cherry pie that was tainted with amygdalin. Bone aches, severe headache, fatigue, muscle cramps, nausea; not a fun time at all.

[GoblinCrew]

Me: oh man that sucks for tattoo artists

Also Me, a brown skin person who several tattoo artists told was unable to get color tattoos because my pallette is not white: Suffer

[skater]

I’m so glad I found this video!! As a tattoo artist myself, I’ve heard a LOT about this issue in Europe, but it’s always good to know what the whole process is, why it’s an issue and what the whole deal was about and if it comes to where I live, I’d like to know what to avoid.

[premiereboris]

'Pushes up glasses' Aktshully, that's not how tattoo guns work at 0:44. It's a common misconception. Tattoo guns work with capillary movement. They create holes in the skin that then gets filled by the ink that is sitting on the surface of the skin. That's why hand operated "Stick and Poke" needles can still tattoo!

[eternalamaiti]

I came for the tea and I got a library instead. This was very informative, thank you!

[niknotnikki]

This was absolutely useful! I have tattoos, friends own shops and this will have dramatic effects on the artists in the EU. I admit I'm torn: I love getting inked, but I want it to be safe for people long term, too.

[michalchik]

Really nice having a good chemistry Channel. I've good math channels, good computer science channels, good physics channels, biomedical channels, but chemistry seems to be the missing one

[beforedawn]

petfood, fragrances (candles, detergents, body products) and diffusers, pharmaceuticals produced overseas have insanely little oversight too. Turns out if you chronically underfund the FDA things get super lax.

[the-white-eye]

could you imagine using the sun reactive and glucose reactive inks in something like an abstract tatoo, or the scales of a snake or something? that would be fucking sick