What’s In My Ink: A Survey of Tattoo Ink Compositions

Location: Amway – Governors Room – 2nd Floor

As tattoos continue to rise in popularity, the demand for tattoo ink has surged. Historically, tattoo inks have been under-regulated in the US market. Our work focuses on understanding what’s in the bottle of tattoo inks compared to what’s on the label. This presentation will discuss the analytical chemistry that goes into characterizing tattoo inks and highlight gaps in accurate labeling with respect to inks available on the US market and those specifically marketed as REACH-compliant for the EU market.