EU’s Ban On Tattoo Ink: Breaking Down the Chemistry 

UV-sensing pigments, glucose-monitoring tattoos… There's some really amazing research out there on how we can use tattoo inks for cool new uses. If you could imbue your tattoo with any special power, what would it be?

"not unless you want your tattoo to change brom blue to green" no we do want that. We do want color changing tattoos very much yes.

I would expect that stuff you legally put in you body has been demonstrated to be safe. Crazy this hasn't been the case before.

Not sure why the algorithm brought me here, but I'm glad it did. This video was interesting and highly informative.

I'd love a glucose monitoring tattoo that looks like a leaf, I think the color changing effect would be cool for some limited designs. It wouldn't even matter if non diabetics get those tattoos, it would increase demand and ensure production for a while at least

I’m ashamed to admit this is the most I’ve learned about ink in 13 years of tattooing

Blows my mind that something put in our bodies are so poorly regulated, I'm sure the industry will be able to adapt and find solutions for currently problematic pigments.

This could be a very good thing for tattoos in the long term; if this creates a demand for researching and creating tattoo specific pigments we could possibly get not only safer inks but also perhaps inks that interact optically better with the skin to create more vibrant colours; inks that are permanent but easier to remove, maybe even pigments that can be "turned on and off" like e-ink using magnets or something like that, etc. Also tattoos with medical purposes like you discussed sounds pretty cool too. I have little to no feeling or awareness of hunger so I often just forget to eat until I'm nauseous; so while I'm not really into tattoos, if I could get a subtle colour changing tattoo bracelet that changed colour when my blood sugar started to drop to remind me to eat and drink, that would be pretty cool.

I am european tattooeer in belgium and there are already Alternative inks that we use that are regulated 😉

It is sad, because new compliant reach colors have way more negative reactions than the old inks! The healing is slow, hard, colors don't look good healed.. Never had this issues before. And now almost the same case on every client.

It's somehow comedic that when people discover that certain colorings have contained substances that might not be the best idea to put under your skin, the main worry is that you can't make as colorful tattoos anymore.. ..Like ???

I was so surprised when I learned there was no regulation for these colors for a long time. I mean a lot of the ingredients would not be allowed in food or medical devices, but direct injection in the skin was ok??

petfood, fragrances (candles, detergents, body products) and diffusers, pharmaceuticals produced overseas have insanely little oversight too. Turns out if you chronically underfund the FDA things get super lax.

I’m so glad I found this video!! As a tattoo artist myself, I’ve heard a LOT about this issue in Europe, but it’s always good to know what the whole process is, why it’s an issue and what the whole deal was about and if it comes to where I live, I’d like to know what to avoid.

I came for the tea and I got a library instead. This was very informative, thank you!

When I saw phthalocyanine, I knew there was going to be cyanide involved. I was _incredibly_ fortunate I didn't die from eating a slice of cherry pie that was tainted with amygdalin. Bone aches, severe headache, fatigue, muscle cramps, nausea; not a fun time at all.

'Pushes up glasses' Aktshully, that's not how tattoo guns work at 0:44. It's a common misconception. Tattoo guns work with capillary movement. They create holes in the skin that then gets filled by the ink that is sitting on the surface of the skin. That's why hand operated "Stick and Poke" needles can still tattoo!

REACH was sort of the icing on the unappetizing poop cake that were the last 3 years. The recent public health crisis already left many tattoo artists basically out of a job, and then the remaining artists found themselves with a severely limited range of colors just as they start getting back on their feet again. As if they did not have enough issues already. Although certainly well-intended, the EU‘s approach was deemed…let’s say „pretty heavy handed“ by many and could really have done with out it at this point in time. The timing was really not ideal here. I mean…imagine you are a painter and make a living from painting flowers or sunsets. Then some crisis hits and commissions dry up completely. Then commissions start rolling in again, finally - and then some bureaucrat comes in, yoinks all your reds and tells you „sorry, red is illegal now - go find something else“ Sure, compliant alternatives are starting to show up gradually. But for a while, it kind of felt personal, like the folks in Brussels were hell bent on regulating something, anything, just to drive tattoo artists out of business. And if I look at certain political figures, I am sure they would have welcomed a wholesale ban on tattooing, because in their antiquated world view, only hardened criminals and outlaws have tattoos. That said, the ingredient list of the inks that went in my tattoos was like 5 ingredients long, give or take. Now some bottles have fold-out labels and you need to squint in order to read the entire list. Whether or not this is a good sign, only time will tell. Don’t get me wrong, I get why REACH is a thing and I am not against it. But this could have been handled a bit different, given the circumstances.

awesome info! exactly what i was thinking about - thanks - this channel is very underrated!

Another excellent video! Thanks, ACS.

I’m wanting to get a tattoo next year. The reason why next year is because I’m using a tattoo as motivation to work out for longer than a month. I’m so glad I’m just wanting it be grey scale because I don’t want to have an aneurysm over the colour green or blue.

Really nice having a good chemistry Channel. I've good math channels, good computer science channels, good physics channels, biomedical channels, but chemistry seems to be the missing one

This was absolutely useful! I have tattoos, friends own shops and this will have dramatic effects on the artists in the EU. I admit I'm torn: I love getting inked, but I want it to be safe for people long term, too.

could you imagine using the sun reactive and glucose reactive inks in something like an abstract tatoo, or the scales of a snake or something? that would be fucking sick

I would totally get a glucose-reactive tattoo (MIT's Dermal Abyss project was many years ago but still occasionally resurfaces via viral social media posts), though as a type 1 diabetic it would still be more just a cool tattoo than anything actually useful in gauging the precise insulin/carbohydrate doses needed to stay alive at any given moment. It could definitely be interesting for those with type 2 or MODY, though, where numbers are less likely to change quickly and precision is less life-or-death. Something tells me most of the first use of this technology will be in the livestock industry.

Me: oh man that sucks for tattoo artists Also Me, a brown skin person who several tattoo artists told was unable to get color tattoos because my pallette is not white: Suffer

Well researched. Glad I found this channel

Why not let people sign a waiver saying they know the risks and still want the tattoo anyway?

My take on it: having to use fewer colours will force tattoo artists to improve their composition, rather than relying on vibrant colours to distract from the flaws in the design. It’s like how manga has way better shading and panel composition than anime, since manga can’t use colour as a band-aid for poor technique.

I would love to have indicator tattoos. It can be just a small part of an allready existing tattoo or like the spots on a snake or whatever. Tattoos that benefit your health sound amazing!

I dunno, as someone with a few tats, I'd be interested in ink that changes color or appears and disappears depending on conditions... xD The only fear is that they are later revealed to also come with all sorts of problems when they break down and whatnot. Oh well, nothing I can do with the ones I already have.... don't have any intention of removing them at any point in my life too. :P As for doing more in the future, remains to be seen... is there even such a thing as being too old for it? xD I think most people with tattoos that made them completely conscious and without pressure never completely let go of the idea of making a few more. xD Mine are over 20yrs old already... and I still occasionally think of doing a few more.

If you put sunscreen (like a lot of tattoo persons do), the ink doesn't react much. Protect your skin, tattoo or not 😎☀️

As an inked chemistry teacher, this was an interesting video (all of them are). 👨‍🔬🧪

American Traditional artists have been using heavily saturated greens and blues for 70+ years with millions of people wearing them their entire lives without issue. But, because when you hit the pigment with a million watt removal laser, they say it's dangerous? Sounds like we should be educating people of the dangers of tattoo removal, as opposed to regulating color pigments that have never proven dangerous in real life...

A very clear and concise presentation of the issue. 👍

Very useful, thank you! I'm about to refresh and expand a piece and knowledge is power.

the opening animation is painfully mistaken. the needle enters the skin to the dermis. it is actually cleaned by the skin but leaves a puddle of ink around the needle, however it creates a pocket with a vacuum seal around the needle. when the needle is removed suction pulls the ink into the skin filling the pocket.

EU treating too many things as "guilty until found innocent".

4:16 Well, the actual copper in the statue of liberty is actually from Norway, a country that's *not* a EU member. So technically not from the EU in that sense. But we here in Norway didn't make it or pay for it... It was a gift from France that *is* a EU member. However, the statue of liberty predates the EU, so France was not yet a EU member at that time.

the idea of a tattoo that only appears in sunlight actually sounds pretty darn nice.

Great vid! I'm glad this isn't from a super Chem-intense point of view, because this is understandable. Here's hoping chemistry can find some pigments that are beautiful *and* safe!

On one hand, I'm surprised there were not more regulations around tattoo ink already.

I have always wondered... Isnt the smell coming from a nail salon bad for peoples health? I cant believe that there is no health affects on people who work among those smells all day.

wow great vid, thanks for this!

Aren't tatoo inks meant to contain heavy metals? The body can't break them down easily so that would make sense

I like the way you communicate🤩 hats off to you

i think it's great that we're learning about how these inks could affect our health. as someone who is passionate about tattoos, with many tattoos myself, im kind of on the fence about this topic tho. it seems like it only becomes harmful once it's blasted by a powerful laser, when someone wants to get their tattoo removed... rather than completely ban the pigments, why can't there be a disclaimer for when people are first getting their tattoo? i agree that it's important to know whether or not what we're putting in our body is safe, but i think in this case the decision should be for the consumer to decide, with proper warnings and knowedlge. especially considering it doesnt seem to be harmful for it's intended purpose, getting a permanent pigment implanted into their skin. only once it's been altered by an expensive and painful process, that often you need multiple treatments to completely remove the tattoo, does it become chemically altered and then cause harm. just one example, what about cigarettes? they're proven to cause cancer but they're still perfectly legal, with a big ol surgeon general warning slapped across each pack... its possible this could cause artists to become more creative and hone their skill to work around this ban, but imo i think an all out ban is unnecessary

Very interesting and clearly put.

I love how the animation shows the tattoo gun being stabbed into the skin further than just the needle

Really great reporting!

Dude, did anyone notice how wild the scale was off on that dermis animation? They sunk the whole needle tube!😢

So interesting, thanks for sharing!❤

You guys deserve way more views per video. I've subscribed with the bell hopefully RU-vid won't try anything funny and show me all your future videos

Getting near 70, and I never got a tattoo for some reason, but I would if it changed color in accord with blood chemistry or something like that - great idea!

I would love to see how the color changing tattoos look on more pigmented skins. It's cool that some people would have that as useful indicator. I'm not that surprised of the inks not been studied that much before. Usually studies are only focused on things that aren't as taboo natured or floods cash later on to a company that could provide for a research benefitting them. Research and studies should really take more in account for what their studies can change in their environment in more boarder view. I'm not against science and I also love that people do studies to get knowledge on things. We just live in a society where research isn't done in a separate vacuum of reality. It's hard to predict things beforehand and getting some knowledge from the people on the field is a good idea. Though sometimes views and thoughts there can be aged and a little out of touch. Good video. Lots of thought put into it and well formatted. Found it easy to follow. The chemical details and picturing of them were amazing and sufficient in my view. I really enjoy how it enriched my view on world we live in

Imagine digitalized tatoos, like some liquid crystal that changes composition periodically to produce monochromatic gifs. Tatoos could be so much more if there was just more Money put into biocompatible pigments and electronics

8:12 that is really interesting. Let’s turn it up a notch and have a tattoo that would indicate your heath bar.

amazing video thank you

Even if you don't have diabetes, a marker that indicates the blood sugar level is kind of useful? Or am I just thinking wrong? I know that Insulin is about regulating blood sugar so that it stays more or less consistent. But like it could be a reminder to take a break after an exercise, or showing of dark green after you have downed a bottle of apple juice. Kinda cool no matter what.

This is a little off mark. A blue pigment and a green pigment have been banned. Not all green or blue. I am a tattooist in Europe and we have all colors available currently. Otherwise all of your information seems to be correct. I forget what green is currently being used but the blue pigment is now Blue #1.

I’ve been dealing with inflammation and red cell problems. Nerve pain , Muscle pain, and bone pain after my 3rd tattoo removal session on a raised scarred tattoo . I am only 23 with no prior health conditions 😥

The last time I got a tattoo, I had a long chat with the tattoo artist about new developments. You can't have metallic pigments in tattoos, nor can you have ink that glows under UV light. I'm sure some enterprising chemist could create pigments that don't do nasty things to our bodies. And remember the fashion craze in the Victorian era for "Paris Green" fashions - everything from clothes to wallpaper. And the dye contained arsenic and antimony, both seriously poisonous.

The green pigment you put up there is the same molecule in crab blood, too, IIRC.

luckily for me, Im not interested in color tattoos, just black, grey, and maybe white. But I am concerned now about what those pigments may potentially do to me.

Cool that just the Cl Atoms which are attached in Green7 to the structure of Blue15:3 move the observable color from blue to green :D

So can an oscilating electric potential between two metal bands each side of a tattoo cause it to become flourescent?

What about the chemicals that are routinely added to our food.

I'm working in the textile industry, and we are highly effected by REACh regulations since a few years because textile is such a chemical intensive industry. And I think, at least here in Germany I know, the industry always keeps an eye on new regulations and tries its best to follow it without making a drama out of it. Maybe a side note: New regulations are not get released and has to be followed in a couple month.; it's a years long process with REACh being really open about what kind of chemicals they are looking at right now, and why and have lists of chemicals they recommend not to use even tho they are not banned yet. The upcoming PFAS ban will have an huge impact, also a lot of chemicals used to fixate dye one polyamide/nylon fabric are going to be banned in a couple of years. The list of dye stuffs also gets smaller really fast, and one coworker and I just joked this week that in a couple of years we all will wear only light colored cloths, because everything will be banned soon😅 Btw, there are way less sorts of pigments than you might think, a lot of pigments are use in paints, inks, on clothes and even in food are just the same thing. To find new and save coloring methods is a big deal in a lot of industries, and would be a Nobel Prize worthy invention, for sure.

This sounds like a good thing. This regulation wil incentivize pigment makers to innovate. EDIT: I’m a type 1 diabetic and got a beautiful (blue) tattoo to share this. I’d love to add this blood glucose measure feature. Would be super helpful.

Great video!

The breakdown product of the chlorinated benzene rings is a nightmare too. Most organic chlorine products are pretty bad, even compared to cyanide.

I thought I would enjoy learning about this, but sadly it only reinforced my dislike of tattoos. Anyway I shall catch you on the next one, and thanks for the great videos.

To have the color of a tattoo change dependent on some kind of body condition that sounds to me like the future of tattoos.... that would be awesome

Alex? Haven't seen for ages. Instant subscribe.

So our of curiosity, the fact that the UK is no longer a part of the EU, does this mean that they dont have to abide by the ban laws like the rest of the EU or is it just an umbrella ban across the entiety of Europe itself

And if the EU are going to do really silly things like ban certain tattoo colours of ink because of health concerns but people who have the colours of these tattoos and want to get the tattoos topped up, now have to get it done illegally get their tattoo spoiled, how much rather just get my tattoos done illegally.

I am alergic to whatever blue green pigment isin the ink. I have a ttried a few and none were any good for me

I worry that this ban is not only based on a lack of science, but also poor data collection that may or may not have been ideologically motivated. I saw mentioned they relied on one study from a dermatologist who interviewed 3000+ participants and 2/3 reported having a reaction to their tattoo and my immediate question was "have these people ever been tattooed before?" Because as someone who is heavily tattooed, and has spent a lot of time in the tattooing community, I can confidently state that that result is just not true. But I also know that tattoos have a healing process that is really like no other wounds, and if the participant was unaware of this they may well interpret the normal healing process as an adverse reaction. Or the questions may have been formulated in such a way that the normal healing process is counted as an adverse reaction. In the cases of those experiencing adverse reactions 2-3 weeks later, I would want to know what aftercare regime they are following and whether they stuck to it. I'm also getting increasingly sceptical about any and all links to cancer claims because I don't see how any study can control properly for all other factors that may also have been the cause of the cancer (or that we have decided have "links to cancer"). It's not like the tumour is going to have a label saying "made by tattoo ink" "made by smoking" "made by the stress of living under capitalism". If everything has the potential to cause cancer then nothing can really be pointed to as THE cause of cancer, and the banning of some chemicals over others becomes more and more arbitrary and therefore more and more open to political or social motivation over scientific evidence based policy. The tattoo industry is under almost constant attack at a local, national and international level and I firmly believe this is about getting rid of social undesirables just as much as it is from any genuine concern about the public health.

Can you make one that turns red when you are pi$$ed off and green when you are not?

Is this why I’m seeing concentrates? I’m a Tattooer in the literal border of Wisconsin and Illinois. Live in Illinois. And recently shopping for colors and saw “blue concentrate” didn’t look too far into it. But it also looked like it was REACH regulated, and approved.

Ha, I just recently got a big tat with a ton of green in it. Guess I'll not be getting that lasered ever. (I wouldn't anyway - I love it).

I want a tattoo that adds the GFP gene into the effected cells around the design.🙂 Would that be possible?

OK all that being said why did my blue and green react only when mixed and turned into something that my body wouldn't except. I mean bright white scarswhere i would mix the pigments

Thank You 🙏✌

If tattoo inks policies shock people, wait to see what's allowed to be part of the food industry outside of the EU.

Really informative, thankyou. The diabetic tattoo was so useful can you do a video on that so that diabetics like myself can get clear information on this potentially habit changing simple device. What a help, one can't loose or forget it, once installed it keeps going cost free. It updates constantly so anyone diabetic, prediabetic or non-diabetic can at a glance work out what does and doesnt spike sugar levels for them. Wonderful! Thankyou so much for taking the time to explain tattoos in a simple to understand scientific way👍👍👍😁😁😁👏👏

Until about 30 years ago, it was pretty much a given that tattoos were for prisoners, prostitutes, and sailors. I personally had no expectation that there was any inherent "healthiness" about the whole procedure, and have considered that not directly getting hepatitis was only a fairly recent expectation. Edit: Wow, Tattoos that change color with blood sugar levels? I completely take back the previous statement with the advent of actual usefulness of tattoos.

"Statue of Liberty, originally from the EU." The EU did not exist when the Statue of Liberty was gifted to the USA.

Look at the list of toxic metals that can be in some inks. Some of these are bad news. Lead and arsenic are two obvious ones you really don't want in your body. Lead can cause mental disorders and even prove to be fatal if too much is in the body. I don't think I want nickel and cobalt either. If you have too much of something in your body it can have toxic effects and maybe even cause death if not treated (assuming there is a treatment for the toxic substance). The fact that the manufacturers don't have to disclose the composition or formula of the ink is frightening all by itself! That green ink may have a large percentage of arsenic or the blue may have too much cobalt. What color does lead get when used as a pigment if it does have a color when used in ink? Oh and the metals you see on that list are not the only toxic ones, there are plenty of dangerous ones on the periodic table you may breathe a sigh of relief when you find that they are not in inks we use or any products we use. Just pick any element on the table, some are so toxic you don't want them anywhere near you!!

Daim i want that glucose sensor tattoo

I really wanted to get an ultraviolet tattoo as a prank for my senior year in highschool. My plan was to sneak off during summer break, get a faint red (UV) "666" tattooed on my forehead and then hide from my friends while it healed. Then in the fall, I'd go to the most popular haunted house to make sure my classmates "accidentally" saw it and pretend I didn't know what they were talking about and didn't believe them. Would have been a great laugh. Always figured UV inks couldn't possibly be good for you but the lengths I'd go through for a good gag.

It would be have been nice if they took the same care over the prescribed injectables.

Sounds more like control....never heard of anyone getting cancer from their tattoo...have seen some pretty old tats on some pretty old dudes too.

the graphic showing the needle and tube doing into the skin is scary

This brings back PTSD from ochem studying azo compound synthesis

Tbf this is laughable that they're so carefull. If you compare that what's been allowed to put in and on our food. But I guess the tattoo industry hasn't set up their lobby groups propperly

The statue of liberty is not originally from the EU, it's from France, the EU didn't exist at that time

I love tattoos and get them regularly but I do wish the ink was better regulated

Tatts have been around for ages and tattooed people don’t die more or get sicker because of them. I’m surrounded by heavily tattooed people and they are all doing great. Maybe it has to do the amount of ink? It would’ve be the same to have a small blue rose tattooed, than a huge blue flag. They would have to check how much of that chemical can the body tolerate. I’m removing my tattoos (mostly all black with an itsy bitsy little tiny bit of purple), and they are a medium size, but from what I understand, you can’t laser all at once if your tattoo is huge, because it over works your body while it’s trying to get rid of the ink.

if tattoo ink gets banned, why isn't tobacco already