"It's a trade secret."
Manufacturers of inks and pigments are not required to reveal the contents.
A professional who mixes his or her own inks from dry pigments will be most likely to know the composition of the inks.
Most tattoo inks technically aren't inks.
They are composed of pigments that are suspended in a carrier solution.
Contrary to popular belief, pigments usually are not vegetable dyes.
Today's pigments primarily are metal salts.
However, some pigments are plastics and there are probably some vegetable dyes too.
The pigment provides the color of the tattoo.
Tattoo inks consist of pigments combined with a carrier, and are used in tattooing.
Tattoo inks are available in a range of colors that can be thinned or mixed together to produce other colors and shades.
Most professional tattoo artists purchase inks pre-made (known as pre-dispersed inks),
while some tattooers mix their own using a dry pigment and a carrier.
Tattoo ink is generally permanent.
Tattoo removal is difficult, painful, and the degree of success depends on the materials used.
Recently developed inks claim to be comparatively easy to remove.
Unsubstantiated claims have been made that some inks fade over time, yielding a "semi-permanent tattoo."
Inks are not regulated by the Food & Drug Administration.
No.
A reputable tattoo professional will know which inks have a good safety track record and which ones have caused reactions. Basically, everyone who had a tattoo before you was a human test subject for the ink. Allergic reactions to an ink or an ingredient can cause painful irritation and damage the art. Browns and flesh toned inks contain ochre, a compound made of ferric or iron oxides mixed with clay. The ochre is heated to remove moisture, giving it the rich brown color used in tattoo pigment. Red, Oranges and Yellows Red inks have long been associated with a phenomenon dubbed "red reaction," an allergic reaction to the agents used as pigment in these inks. Iron oxide (rust), cadmium red, cinnabar and napthol are all used as red tattoo pigment. Orange tattoo ink ingredients include disazopyrazolone, disazodiarylide and cadmium seleno-sulfide. These pigments have good, stable structure and are known to be quite colorfast. Yellow ink is made from chrome yellow, ochre, cadmium yellow, curcuma yellow or disazodiarylide. Curcuma yellow is derived from the spice turmeric. Green, Blue and Violet Inks: Green tattoo ink has a number of potential ingredients, including Prussian Blue, malachite, chromium oxide, ferrocyanides or lead chromate. Blue ink can contain any of the following ingredients: azure blue, cobalt blue, lapis lazuli or copper salts. Inks derived from the copper salts are approved by the FDA for use in other purposes such as baby furniture, contact lenses and toys. Violet ink is sometimes photoreactive, which can cause a problem with tattoos that are exposed to light. Prolonged exposure can cause a violet tattoo to discolor or fade. Ink ingredients include manganese violet and quinacridone. |
Black tattoo ink is a staple of the tattoo artist's arsenal. This ink is used for outlines and entire designs. It can be used straight from the bottle or diluted into varying shades of gray in stunning grayscale designs.
The ingredients of black tattoo ink are changing as safer alternatives to traditional contents, such as heavy metals and potentially toxic substances, are found. Blacks, Browns and Flesh Tones Black ink is used extensively in tattooing and is sometimes used exclusively to create entire designs. The contents of this ink include iron oxide, carbon or logwood to produce rich, deep black tones. Carrier Ingredients A carrier ingredient is the main ingredient in any tattoo ink. This is the liquid that holds the ink particles, which are suspended in the liquid. Modern tattoo inks use a number of substances as carrier ingredients. Distilled water is a common ingredient, which works well in black ink. Adding more distilled water creates an even, diluted gray tone. Other carriers include witch hazel, glycerine and ethyl alcohol. Iron Oxide Pigments Iron oxide is a heavy metal used in some black tattoo inks. This ingredient is commonly found in older inks and is becoming increasingly less common. This type of tattoo ink may react during medical procedures such as MRI scans due to its content. Carbon Pigments Carbon is an ancient tattoo ink ingredient that's still in use today. India ink, graphite and ash are all forms of carbon used in tattoo inks. Traditional tattoo artists in the Pacific Islands and Asia still use carbon-based inks with hand-tapped tattoos. Many homemade tattoos are also done with some form of carbon pigment, though this is not necessarily a recommendation. n the plus side, carbon-based tattoo inks respond well to laser removal treatment. |