Tattoos are incredibly popular these days. But do persons getting a tattoo actually know what's in the tattoo inks? Are they safe?
Unfortunately, the answer is that the inks are underregulated. A recent study found that many of the ingredients are not listed on the tattoo ink label. Only since 2022 has a law been passed giving the FDA oversight, but so far nothing much has happened.
A recent study by Binghamton Univ. researchers found that found that when they examined 54 tattoo inks from 9 manufacturers in the US, they found that 45 of them contained unlisted additives and/or pigments. More than half contained the unlisted ingredient polyethylene glycol, which can cause organ damage through repeated exposure. Other unlisted ingredients were propylene glycol, 2-phenoxyethanol (health risks to nursing infants), and azo containing dyes. Many of the unlisted ingredients posed possible allergic or other health risks.
The researchers only looked at additives present in large amounts (2000 parts per million or ppm). Once again European regulations are stricter with oversight down to 2 ppm.
Much is still unknown about health effects from the inks in tattoos. But it is known that there is persistent inflammation and also that some particles in dyes migrate to the lymph nodes in the body. Colorful tattoo inks can contain toxic elements such as nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum.
From Ars Technica: Caveat emptor: 90% of tattoo inks have unlabeled or mislabeled ingredients
If you live in the US and are planning on getting a tattoo any time soon, we've got some potentially unwelcome news. Many common commercial tattoo inks have either different ingredients than those listed on the label or additional substances that are not listed at all, according to a new paper published in the journal Analytical Chemistry. And there are other scientific studies suggesting that some of those ingredients could have adverse health effects, either in the form of allergic reactions or skin or other cancers.
“Our goal is to empower artists and their clients," said co-author John Swierk, a chemist at Binghamton University. "Tattoo artists are serious professionals who have dedicated their lives to this craft, and they want the best possible outcomes for their clients. We’re trying to highlight that there are some deficiencies in manufacturing and labeling.”
Typical tattoo ink contains one or more pigments (which give the ink its color) within a "carrier package" to help deliver the pigments into the skin. The pigments are the same as those used in paints and textiles. They can be either small bits of solids or discrete molecules, such as titanium dioxide or iron oxide (for white or rust-brown colors, respectively). As for the carrier packages, most ink manufacturers use grain or rubbing alcohol, sometimes with a bit of witch hazel added to the mix to help the skin heal after the tattooing process. There may also be other additives to adjust the viscosity and keep pigment particles suspended in the carrier package.
This new paper incorporates that early data (now peer-reviewed) and expands upon it. The team has now identified 45 out of 54 inks (90 percent) with major labeling discrepancies, including different pigments than those listed or unlisted additives. Allergic reactions to the pigments, especially red inks, have already been documented. For instance, a 2020 study found a connection between contact dermatitis and how tattoos degrade over time. But additives can also have adverse effects. More than half of the tested inks contained unlisted polyethylene glycol—repeated exposure could cause organ damage—and 15 of the inks contained a potential allergen called propylene glycol.
The European Commission has recently begun to crack down on harmful chemicals in tattoo ink, including two widely used blue and green pigments (Pigment Blue 15 and Pigment Green 7), claiming they are often of low purity and can contain hazardous substances. In the US, manufacturers of tattoo inks have historically not been required to disclose the ingredients, and even when they did, there was no real oversight of whether those disclosures were correct.
That is beginning to change with the passage by Congress of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) in late 2022. The law enabled the FDA to regulate tattoo inks for the first time, including monitoring accuracy in labeling tattoo inks. The regulations are less strict than those adopted by the European Union, but they're a start.