Despite stricter regulations, Europe faces issues with tattoo ink ingredients

Swerk et al. Use various methods, including Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electron microscopy, to analyze a wide range of commonly used tattoo inks. This allows them to identify specific pigments and other components in different inks.

Earlier this year, Team Swerk It has been identified 45 out of 54 inks (90 percent) with significant label discrepancies in the United States. Allergic reactions to dyes, especially red inks, have already been documented. For example, A Study 2020 She found a link between contact dermatitis and how tattoos degrade over time. But additives can also have harmful effects. More than half of the inks tested contained unlisted polyethylene glycol—repeated exposure can cause organ damage—and 15 of the inks contained a potential allergen called propylene glycol.

Meanwhile, across the pond…

This is the main reason why the European Commission recently began cracking down on harmful chemicals in tattoo ink, including banning two widely used blue and green pigments (Pigment Blue 15 and Pigment Green 7), claiming that they are often… Low purity and may contain hazardous materials. (US regulations are less stringent than those adopted by the European Union.) Swerk’s team has now expanded its chemical analysis to include 10 different tattoo inks from five different manufacturers supplying the European market.

According to Swerk et al., nine of those ten inks did not meet EU regulations; Five simply failed to list all ingredients, but four contained banned ingredients. Another key finding was that Raman spectroscopy is not very reliable for knowing which of the three common structures of Pigment Blue 15 were used. (Only one blocked). Various tools failed to reliably distinguish between the three forms, so the authors concluded that the current ban on Pigment Blue 15 is simply unenforceable.

“There are book regulations that are not being adhered to, at least in part because of delayed implementation.” Swerk said. “Our work cannot determine whether the issues with inaccurate tattoo ink marking are intentional or unintentional, but at the very least, it highlights the need for manufacturers to adopt better manufacturing standards. At the same time, the regulations on the books will need to be reworked.” Enforce them and if they cannot be implemented, as we say in the case of Pigment Blue 15, then they must be re-evaluated.”

Analyst, 2024. DOI: 10.1039/D4AN00793J (About digital IDs).