Thinkin' Ink |

What Exactly Is Tattoo ink?

The truth is…you can’t be 100% sure! Producers of pigments and inks are not obligated to divulge the ingredients of their products. Pigments and tattoo inks are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. An artist who mixes their own inks from dry pigments would be most likely to know the exact formulation of the inks. Keep in mind the information is usually proprietary (a trade secret), so you may or may not get answers to your questions.

Most tattoo inks technically are not inks at all. They are a composition of pigments that are suspended in a carrier solution. Contrary to popular belief, pigments are generally not vegetable dyes. Modern pigments primarily consist of metal salts. In addition, some pigments contain plastics and there are some vegetable dyes as well. The pigment provides the color and the carrier disinfects the pigment suspension, keeps it evenly mixed, and accommodates ease of application.

The Chemistry of Pigments

The ancients made pigments from grinding up minerals and carbon black. Today’s pigments include the original mineral pigments, modern industrial organic pigments, a few vegetable-based pigments, in addition to some plastic-based pigments. Allergic reactions, scarring, phototoxic reactions (reaction from exposure to light, especially sunlight), and other negative reactions are a possibility with various pigments. The plastic-based pigments are intensely colored, but many people have reported allergic reactions following its use. There are also pigments that luminesce (glow in the dark) when exposed to black (ultraviolet) light. These pigments are risky… some may be safe, but others can actually be radioactive or toxic in other dreadful ways.

Here’s a listing of common pigments used in tattoo inks. It’s not very extensive…remember…pretty much anything that can be used as a pigment has been at one time or another. And, many inks may mix one or more pigments.

Compostion of Tattoo Pigments
Color	Materials	Comment
Black	Iron Oxide (Fe₃ O₄ ) Iron Oxide (FeO) Carbon Logwood	Natural black pigment is made from magnetite crystals, powdered jet, wustite, bone black,and amorphous carbon from combustion (soot). Black pigment is commonly made into India ink. Logwood is a heartwood extract from Haematoxylon campechisnum , found in Central America and the West Indies.
Brown	Ochre	Ochre is composed of iron (ferric) oxides mixed with clay. Raw ochre is yellowish. When dehydrated through heating, ochre changes to a reddish color.
Red	Cinnabar (HgS) Cadmium Red (CdSe) Iron Oxide (Fe₂ O₃ ) Napthol-AS pigment	Iron oxide is also known as common rust. Cinnabar and cadmium pigments are highly toxic. Napthol reds are synthesized from Naptha. Fewer reactions have been reported with naphthol red than the other pigments, but all reds carry risks of allergic or other reactions.
Orange	disazodiarylide and/or disazopyrazolone cadmium seleno-sulfide	The organics are formed from the condensation of 2 monoazo pigment molecules. They are large molecules with good thermal stability and colorfastness.
Flesh	Ochres (iron oxides mixed with clay)
Yellow	Cadmium Yellow (CdS, CdZnS) Ochres Curcuma Yellow Chrome Yellow (PbCrO₄ , often mixed with PbS) disazodiarylide	Curcuma is derived from plants of the ginger family; aka tumeric or curcurmin. Reactions are commonly associated with yellow pigments, in part because more pigment is needed to achieve a bright color.
Green	Chromium Oxide (Cr₂ O₃ ), called Casalis Green or Anadomis Green Malachite [Cu₂ (CO₃ )(OH)₂ ] Ferrocyanides and Ferricyanides Lead chromate Monoazo pigment Cu/Al phthalocyanine Cu phthalocyanine	The greens often include admixtures, such as potassium ferrocyanide (yellow or red) and ferric ferrocyanide (Prussian Blue)
Blue	Azure Blue Cobalt Blue Cu-phthalocyanine	Blue pigments from minerals include copper (II) carbonate (azurite), sodium aluminum silicate (lapis lazuli), calcium copper silicate (Egyptian Blue), other cobalt aluminum oxides and chromium oxides. The safest blues and greens are copper salts, such as copper pthalocyanine. Copper pthalocyanine pigments have FDA approval for use in infant furniture and toys and contact lenses. The copper-based pigments are considerably safer or more stable than cobalt or ultramarine pigments.
Violet	Manganese Violet (manganese ammonium pyrophosphate) Various aluminum salts Quinacridone Dioxazine/carbazole	Some of the purples, especially the bright magentas, are photoreactive and lose their color after prolonged exposure to light. Dioxazine and carbazole result in the most stable purple pigments.
White	Lead White (Lead Carbonate) Titanium dioxide (TiO₂ ) Barium Sulfate (BaSO₄ ) Zinc Oxide	Some white pigments are derived from anatase or rutile. White pigment may be used alone or to dilute the intensity of other pigments. Titanium oxides are one of the least reactive white pigments.

Tattoo ink is made up of pigment and a carrier. The carrier may be a single material or a mixture. The function of the carrier is to keep the pigment evenly distributed in a fluid matrix, to inhibit the introduction of pathogens, to prevent the clumping of pigment, as well as aiding in application to the skin itself. Some common components used to make the carrier are:

* ethyl alcohol (ethanol)
* purified water
* witch hazel
* Listerine
* propylene glycol
* glycerine (glycerol)

However, a laundry list of other stuff has been and may be used, including:

* denatured alcohols (toxic and can burn the skin)
* other alcohols (methyl alcohol or methanol and isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol are sometimes used, even though they are toxic)
* ethylene glycol (antifreeze, very toxic)
* aldehydes, for example, formaldehyde and gluteraldehyde (highly toxic)
* various surfactants or detergents

There are several other substances that may be found in an ink. An artist has the option of mixing their own ink (dry dispersed pigment and a carrier solution) or purchasing predispersed pigments. Many predispersed pigments are as safe or safer than inks mixed by the individual tattooist. However, the exact ingredients need not be disclosed, so any chemical could be present in the ink. The prudent thing to do would be to ask your artist if the ink supplier and the particular ink has a history of safety. Remember, although the term toxic has been associated with some substances mentioned in the pigments and carriers, it is a gross understatement. Some of these compounds are mutagens, carcinogens, teratogens, toxins, or can cause other adverse symptoms, some of which may not manifest themselves for years.

Arm yourself with knowledge and ask the right questions of a tattoo professional. This will ensure you a safe and rewarding tattooing experience in addition to developing a rapport with your artist, an important factor for future advise or tattoos.

Share and Enjoy: