No tattoo ink is really safe for your health - because too little is known about its effects on the body. What remains are risks. The problem: Tattoo inks do not yet require approval; the manufacturer is responsible for safety. At the EU level, some substances in tattoo inks are soon to be banned via the European Chemicals Act. Because they do not fall under the EU Cosmetics Regulation because they go under the skin and not on it.
It's actually crazy: if a tattoo were a cream, what could be in it would be regulated much more precisely. But all we know is that tattoo inks are mixtures of many individual substances. Which one is not so clear in each individual case. There is also no list of compatible colors - however, the German Tattoo Ink Ordinance names some harmful ingredients that are not allowed to be included.
Nevertheless, official inspections or tests by Stiftung Warentest and Ökotest repeatedly turn up inks that contain, among other things, carcinogenic substances: e.g. B. PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) or certain harmful dyes. Some colors also contain nickel - for people with nickel allergies, because you don't just wear the allergy-triggering substance on (like a trouser button) but under your skin...
No color for sure
Conclusion: No color can currently be described as safe because too little is known about the effect of color pigments on the body. Until there is perhaps an approval requirement and a binding positive list in which all harmless colorants are included, a tattoo or permanent make-up remains quite a risk and one must be discouraged.
If you have a nickel allergy, you should definitely avoid it. If you still don't want to wait until research and laws guarantee safe colors, you should at least have the inks shown to you before tattooing in order to keep the risk smaller: information on the ingredients, the best-before date, the period of use after opening, the batch number and that Manufacturer name and full address must be present. The ingredients must be named individually; collective names such as “organic pigments” or “preservatives” are not permitted.
If you want to know more, you can also ask for certificates for the colors - but these should relate to the specific batch! It should state that the color complies with the German Tattoo Ink Ordinance. Microbiological reports are also a good indication of quality. But as I said, safety is not 100% because the German regulation says nothing about toxins such as heavy metals. Even such certificates and reports cannot guarantee general safety.
Source: Checked4You
Related to the topic: This tattoo removal backfired!
If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:
📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.
Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!
* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

