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 use 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

Pigment
Black

Composition
Iron Oxide (Fe3O4)
Iron Oxide (FeO)
Carbon

Comments
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.

Pigment
Brown

Composition
Ochre

Comments
Ochre is composed of iron (ferric)
oxides mixed with clay. Raw ochre
is yellowish. When dehydrated
through heating, ochre changes
to a reddish color.

Pigment
Red

Composition
Cinnabar (HgS)
Cadmium Red (CdSe)
Iron Oxide (Fe2O3)
Napthol-AS pigment

Comments
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.

Pigment
Orange

Composition
Disazodiarylide
and/or Disazopyrazolone
Cadmium seleno-sulfide

Comments
The organics are formed from the
condensation of 2 monoazo pigment
molecules. They are large molecules
with good thermal stability and colorfastness.

Pigment
Flesh

Composition
Ochres (iron oxides mixed with clay)

Comments
None

Pigment
Yellow

Composition
Cadmium Yellow (CdS, CdZnS)
Ochres
Curcuma Yellow
Chrome Yellow (PbCrO4, often mixed with PbS)
Disazodiarylide

Comments
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.

Pigment
Green

Composition
Chromium Oxide (Cr2O3), called
Casalis Green or Anadomis Green

Malachite [Cu2(CO3)(OH)2]
Ferrocyanides and Ferricyanides
Lead chromate
Monoazo pigment
Cu/Al phthalocyanine
Cu phthalocyanine

Comments
The greens often include admixtures,
such as potassium ferrocyanide
(yellow or red) and
ferric ferrocyanide (Prussian Blue)

Pigment
Blue

Composition
Azure Blue
Cobalt Blue
Cu-phthalocyanine

Comments
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.

Pigment
Violet

Composition
Manganese Violet
(manganese ammonium pyrophosphate)

Various aluminum salts
Quinacridone
Dioxazine/carbazole

Comments
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.

Pigment
White

Composition
Lead White (Lead Carbonate)
Titanium dioxide (TiO2)
Barium Sulfate (BaSO4)
Zinc Oxide

Comments
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 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 long history of safety. Remember, although the term toxic has been associated with some substances mentioned in the pigments and carriers, it is a gross oversimplification. 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 thing for future advise or tattoos.

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