“The frequency of European recalls of tattoo products containing banned toxic compounds has alerted us. We have had inks analyzed in the laboratory. Our results are worrying” declares UFC-Que Choisir, which publishes today a dossier on tattoo inks. As the consumer association points out, the vast majority of tattoo artists respect hygiene rules. But when they buy their inks, they have no regard for their composition. And that’s what prompted the UFC to buy about 20 inks in order to analyze their composition, “taking into account their injection into the body”. And the results of the analyzes are far from reassuring: out of 20 inks tested, 15 were disqualified because they contained toxic compounds. “More than 1 in 3 even contains banned dyes” underlines the UFC.
When will the creation of “tatoo info service” be created?
“Pigment is an implant, having pigments implanted in the skin is not without risk” is used to explaining Sandie Tiziano-Schaer, the director of BIOTIC Phocea, a French company specializing in the manufacture of pigments for medical dermopigmentation and permanent make-up. The business manager recently recalled in a press release that from January 4, 2022, certain hazardous substances can no longer be used in the creation of tattoo inks. The main targets are: CMR substances (Carcinogenic / Mutagenic / Reprotoxic), sensitizers / corrosives / skin irritants, and mineral impurities. This would concern 30 to 70% of the green and blue pigments currently available on the pigmentation market, Europe wanting to be stricter than Asia or the United States where a good number of tattoo inks are manufactured.
For its part, the High Public Health Council (HCSP) has published at the beginning of the year its recommendations for risk-free tattooing and tattoo removal. In particular, he recommends:
- To create a notebook of “interventions” to give to customers where each act of tattooing and tattoo removal will be noted with the constituents or materials used.
- To set up continuous training for people who perform tattoos or permanent make-up via a refresher module every 5 years for example.
- To entrust the wide distribution of information and recommendations concerning tattoos and tattoo removal at national level to a clearly identified structure, with for example the creation of the “Tatoo Info Service”.
- For tattoo removal, to prohibit any use of chemical products and to reserve this act for doctors with exclusive recourse to the laser adapted to this act.
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