If you plan on getting a tattoo, consider this: A new study from Binghamton University, State University of New York looking at green and blue tattoo inks from Europe found that most contained ingredients that are not listed on the label—and some contained ingredients that are outright banned. The work is published in The Analyst journal. Tattoo inks in Europe are regulated by the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations, which were instituted in 2022.
These limit the use of approximately 4,000 substances and some inks, including Pigment Blue 15:3 and Pigment Green 8, have been banned for use entirely. In a new study led by Binghamton University chemist John Swierk, researchers analyzed ten green and blue inks from five different manufacturers distributed to the European market, all of which claim to be REACH compliant. Swierk's lab had previously conducted a study of tattoo inks in the U.
S. which found that 45 out of 54 inks didn't match the contents listed on the label. "Our work cannot say anything about the safety of tattoos, but we think it's an important first step in addressing the question 'Are tattoos safe?'" said Swierk.
"If we don't know what's in a bottle of tattoo ink, then we cannot figure out what might be causing an adverse event in the near and long term, whether that's an allergic reaction or something more serious. As a team, we aren't anti-tattoo, we just believe that clients and artists h.