For thousands of years, humans around the world have undertaken different kinds of body decorations, or tattooing, for religious and other reasons. So far, the oldest example and proof of tattooing is the 5,300-year-old mummy known as Ötzi. The mummy was discovered in the Alps and has 61 individually recognizable tattoos, all located near his joints. Because of the tattoo placement, researchers believe tattoos were used as some kind of treatment for joint pain or arthritis.

Nowadays, hundreds of millions of people are getting tattooed for numerous reasons; they’re either following trends, looking for a way to self-express, or try to stand out in the crowd. Whatever the reason is, tattooing has never been more popular among young, and even older adults.

However, it seems that people, thousands of years ago and now equally, don’t really look much into the very chemistry and ingredients used to make tattoo ink. With numerous tattoo and ink regulations seeing the day of light in European countries, the issue of ink ingredients is starting to grow in the States as well.

So, to make this issue more understandable for regular folks, we’ve decided to tackle the topic of tattoo ingredients and explain the chemistry of tattoos and inks. Hopefully, this will paint a clear picture of how dangerous and inadequately regulated tattoo inks really are.

Tattoo Ink Ingredients – Explained

What Is In Tattoo Ink?

To put it as simply as possible, tattoo inks of any kind comprise a tattoo colorant or pigment, and a carrier.

Tattoo colorants or pigments, contrary to popular opinion, are not dyes; these are colored compounds used to give the tattoo the needed color while remaining visible in the skin. Dyes require direct interaction with the skin to develop color, while ink colorants don’t require such a reaction, and ensure the color stays put in the dermis of the skin for years.