Tattoo Forum with Gallery: ask your tattoo questions, upload your own tattoo pictures or rate and comment other member’s tattoos!

Chris82 · Tattoo lover Joined: 21 Feb 2009 Posts: 3

I love the art of tattooing, but I am also a scientist. I am completely shocked by the ingredients used in tattoo inks. Consumers, please beware of what is actually in your ink.

Unfortunately, due to public health safety priorities, the FDA has chosen to not regulate tattoo inks. There are no enforced guidelines on artists or tattoo ink companies regarding the ink components. After some research and investigation, I have found that the ingredients in common inks are heavy metals such as Cadmium, Lead, Barium (I have even tested some in my lab for personal amusement and it is not pretty). In addition, they are formulated with polymeric resins such as acrylic (think nail salon) and polyurethanes (think varnish).

These materials are not suitable for placement in your skin let alone contact with your blood!!! These materials would not even be suitable for a topical cosmetic, let alone an injectable, which essentially is what a tattoo is.

I beg you to think green and use more natural, organic ingredients. Modern science has developed cures for cancer and vaccines to treat the most complex diseases, scientists need to be involved to develop safe ingredients that make good art.

Choose your inks wisely! I heard of Exceptional tattoo's new line of clinically tested ink called Virgin Ink. Anyone else hear of it?

roscoe7 · Tattoo lover Joined: 19 Dec 2009 Posts: 8 Location: HERE

Chris 82 is on the money with that post. I'm not sure if this is permissable but this article lists tattoo pigments and what they are made from. Some of these chemicals can be very dangerous especially when removed via Laser because the heat created by the Laser can form even more hazardous chemicals when some of these pigments are heated to the temperatures generated by Laser beams.

Always ask what tattoo pigments are made of before allowing them to be injected into your body, it's the safe thing to do.

zapzapzap · Tattoo lover Joined: 17 Oct 2009 Posts: 81

I have never heard of Virgin Ink. Nice sales pitch though.

You are a dipshit roscoe. Why don't you shove your LAZER-PEW-PEW-BEAMS straight up your ass.

Get your tattoo's in a reputable shop and relax. Professional tattoo artists have access to much higher quality products than the kitchen magicians that frequent these forums.

Tattoo pigments are not "injected"... just sayin. Fuck you and your scare tactics.

TattooBoy · Tattoo lover Joined: 13 Jan 2010 Posts: 7

I researched Virgin Ink and found that it is supposedly the best ink on the planet. Virgin Ink is a high quality tattoo ink, manufactured in a clean environment with minimal ingredients and tested by independent, third party laboratories to ensure its purity.

Virgin Inks are specifically formulated to go into the skin smoothly and evenly. They produce very fine shading and they are available only to professional tattoo artists.

Marc David · Tattoo lover Joined: 06 Aug 2010 Posts: 9

This is really interesting take on the concept. The meaningful contribution of your mind reflects on those people who are looking for new ideas and informations regarding tattoo inks. Most tattoo inks technically aren't inks at all but rather a combination of pigments that are suspended in a carrier solution. While some companies claim to use vegetable dyes the reality is most pigments are primarily metal salts. Other pigments are plastics.
Unfortunately, a manufacturer of tattoo ink isn't required to reveal their contents nor is the ink regulated by the FDA or other agencies. Professional tattoo artists rely primarily on the same pigment base found in cosmetics, while amateurs will often use drawing inks such as low grade India ink. These can often contain impurities and toxins which can lead to illness or infection.

Thanks.......

Snakepit · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:50 pm Post subject:

DAMN!!!! well, i'm off with a razorblade to save all those unfortunate souls that have ruined their lives by getting a tattoo!!!!!!!!!
this may take a while.

rowdy · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 5:20 am Post subject: ink

snake come save me first mate ,,,,or i wont be able to delete the phone spam. Shocked

Snakepit · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 6:34 am Post subject:

LMAO, rowdy, i can't find a single case of someone dying from a tattoo. Shocked

ali · Tattoo lover Joined: 05 Oct 2010 Posts: 7

well while state and local authorities oversee the practice of tattooing, ink and ink colorings (pigments) used in tattoos are subject to FDA regulation as cosmetics and color additives. However, because of other public health priorities and a previous lack of evidence of safety concerns, FDA has not traditionally regulated tattoo inks or the pigments used in them. So, it's up to you Very Happy

migueltattoo · Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 11:02 am Post subject:

The mods should ban posts like the ones written here!
I mean, don't buy Ford because it pollutes air, buy Volvo because it doesn't? Get the hell out of here!
You're just trying to sell a brand!

1st thing a new tattoist does when buying their gear is to choose their colours, when buying cheap kits one may get cheap colours, and eventually find out that those colours SUCK! They just don't last more than a month on somebody's skin until they fade away looking like a 30year-old tattoo.

Now, if the same person wants to continue his craft, he'll have to buy GOOD colours so that clients will ask him to do tattoos.
There are plenty of good brands on the market and safe ones.

If just a single person in the world would die or even get serious hill from a tattoo, tattoos would no longer be. Because people aren't stupid. The guy that started this post is.

Snakepit · Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 5:01 pm Post subject:

[quote="migueltattoo"]The mods should ban posts like the ones written here!
I mean, don't buy Ford because it pollutes air, buy Volvo because it doesn't? Get the hell out of here!
You're just trying to sell a brand!

1st thing a new tattoist does when buying their gear is to choose their colours, when buying cheap kits one may get cheap colours, and eventually find out that those colours SUCK! They just don't last more than a month on somebody's skin until they fade away looking like a 30year-old tattoo.

Now, if the same person wants to continue his craft, he'll have to buy GOOD colours so that clients will ask him to do tattoos.
There are plenty of good brands on the market and safe ones.

If just a single person in the world would die or even get serious hill from a tattoo, tattoos would no longer be. Because people aren't stupid. The guy that started this post is.[/quote]

gets the blood boilin', don't it, lol. well put miguel!

D3FiANC3 · Tattoo lover Joined: 17 Nov 2011 Posts: 1

First off, any ink that eliminates the use of heavy metals is worth looking into. Obviously some people couldn't care less what garbage they put into their bodies, but not every tattoo aficionado treats their body like garbage. Secondly, Brandon Bond has personally and publicly stated that Virgin Ink is high-quality stuff and if the word of a world renowned artist isn't good enough to at at least warrant an inquiry, then I don't know what is.