Now that we know what tattoo ink is and how it is applied to the skin, we can explore the different materials used to create the various colors popular in modern tattoos. Historically, most tattoo inks were made from heavy metals mined from the earth, refined and used as dyes.

Yellow tattoo ink typically contains zinc, chromium, titanium, or, rarely, lead. The color of ink depends largely on the metals within it, and different metals and their compounds produce different colors and shades. The heavy metals within tattoo ins are the causes of most skin reactions to tattoos.

Modern tattoos use ink, which consists of two parts: pigments and substrates. Most professional tattoo artists buy ready-made ink (known as pre-dispersed ink), while some tattoo artists mix their own using dry pigment and base. Tattoo ink is pre-sterilized and can be dispensed into disposable ink caps to avoid cross-contamination.

Variations in Tattoo Ink and Their Ingredients

Vegan inks use an organic pigment such as azo pigment, carbon black, or log to create black tattoo ink and plant-based glycerin or witch hazel. Green ink contains ingredients such as phthalocyanine, ferrocyanide and ferricyanide dyes, lead chromate and chromium oxide. Yellow ink contains cadmium sulfide and may cause increased light sensitivity. Red ink carries an increased risk of allergies and contains cinnabar (a toxic mineral) and naphthol pigments.

Red ink is known to cause allergic reactions in some people and is considered the most toxic ink color. Red ink appears to be associated with chronic and allergic skin reactions from tattoos. Red, blue and black tattoos are the main cause of sun-related allergic reactions, followed by other colors. While red causes most problems, most other standard tattoo ink colors also come from heavy metals (including lead, antimony, beryllium, chromium, nickel, cobalt, and arsenic) and can cause skin reactions in some people.

Some red inks also contain iodine and cadmium, which is common with many people. It is true that some red inks used for permanent tattoos contain mercury, while other red inks may contain several heavy metals such as cadmium or iron oxide. Other findings from a 2013 New Zealand study were that inks using non-metallic dyes may contain traces of antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead and nickel. All of the tattoo ink samples used for the Iran study contained detectable amounts of lead and cadmium.

Heavy Metals in Tattoo Ink Can Lead to Skin Problems

Our studies have shown that our samples contain sensitizing metals, such as nickel, chromium and cobalt, at concentrations above the recommended 1 μg/g limit to enhance skin protection in most samples. Generally, iron, manganese, and zinc are the main metals in hair dyes and tattoo inks, while iron, manganese, zinc, copper, and aluminum are the main metals in tattoo inks.

Cadmium concentrations in these samples were below the detection limit, with the exception of HD-11 (16.8 µg/g), which was above the regulatory limit of 3.0 µg/g for cadmium in cosmetics (Health Canada, 2012). The highest concentrations of chromium were observed in green tattoo inks, likely due to the use of duotone pigments in the production of these products.

A 2014 study in Iran on heavy metal content in tattoo inks showed that the type of pigment used in tattoo inks affects its heavy metal content. Tattoo ink manufacturers often mix heavy metal pigments and/or use bleaches (such as lead or titanium) to reduce manufacturing costs. According to the IARC Monograph Working Group, apart from carbon black, which is known to be a possible Group 2B human carcinogen, the most common ingredient in tattoo inks is titanium dioxide (TiO2), a white pigment used in Create some shades when mixed with coloring elements.

Additional Studies on Tattoo Ink

A 2005 study of these inks]explained that tattooed human tissue contains a variety of elements, including sensitizers such as nickel, chromium, manganese and cobalt in the pigments that give them their color.

The tattoo inks analyzed in a study published in The Lancet Oncology in 2012 consisted of various metal salts, some present in high concentrations and others in low or trace concentrations. While most tattoo inks were once considered safe and relatively inert, every patient is different and may react differently to the many foreign chemicals found in pigments.

The safety of such inks for use on humans is widely debated in the tattoo community. The Food and Drug Administration has not yet regulated pigments in tattoo ink, but agency officials will investigate and recall tattoo ink if they become aware of a specific safety issue, such as bacterial contamination that can lead to infections. . At present, the FDA has not approved any tattoo pigments for injection into the skin.

How to Approach Tattoo Concerns

If you are concerned about an adverse reaction to the ink used in a tattoo, be sure to check with your local tattoo artist. Notable exceptions, such as California Proposition 65, require tattoo artists to tell their clients if they will be using ink pigments that contain compounds known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

As a result of this lawsuit, the companies must post a warning to their California customers in the United States on tattoo ink labels, catalogs, and websites stating that “the ink contains many heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, and others.” ingredients have been linked to cancer and birth defects.

The safety of tattoo inks or pigments has received some attention due to a lawsuit filed by the American Environmental Security Institute (AESI) against California tattoo ink vendors in the United States because heavy metals are used to make tattoo pigments last. American Environmental Institute (AESI) tattoo ink sellers in California in the USA California in the USA their tattoo pigments.

While no studies have examined in detail the long-term health effects of metals in tattoo inks, it is advisable to follow the following color guidelines for inks that use certain ingredients, given the propensity to react to specific colors. These metals make tattoos “persistent” on the skin, are known to cause allergic reactions, eczema and scarring, and may also lead to sensitivity to mercury from other sources, such as dental fillings or fish consumption. Tattoo pigments are simple; learn about the different materials that give tattoo color.