ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCIENCE
Open Access
Decoding Tattoo Inks: Multiple Analysis Techniques Reveal Discrepancies in Ingredient Composition and Elemental Content When Compared Against Label Claims
tain various chemical compounds, includ- ing 1) vehicles such as water, glycerine, and other alcoholic derivatives; 2) additives such as surfactants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocar- bons, nanoparticles, and polymers; and 3) pigments of varying purity (Arl et al., 2019; Bäumler, 2020; Høgsberg et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2021). These chemical compounds can include substances that were designed for use in paints, non-tattoo inks, or plastics. Throughout history, the composition of tattoo pigments has evolved from natural extracts and metal salts to a mix of inor- ganic oxides, salts, inorganic pigments, and azo dyes (Barua, 2015). Historically, inorganic compounds such as mercury(II) oxide for red, cobalt(II) aluminate for blue, chromium(III) oxide for green, manganese violet for purple, titanium dioxide for white, and iron oxides for brown tones were used (Bocca et al., 2017; Poon et al., 2008; Rio et al., 2020). Often, these inorganic compounds were blended with other organic and inor- ganic components to enhance the vibrancy of the colors (Forte et al., 2009). Now, how- ever, tattoo ink manufacturers use artificial organic and organometallic pigments mixed with inorganic compounds to make tattoo inks (Negi et al., 2023), with metals still present as chromophores, shading additives, or impurities (Arl et al., 2019; Rio et al., 2020). Further, inorganic pigments based on metal salts are currently used in micropig- mentation inks in permanent cosmetics such as permanent eyebrow makeup, eyeliner, and lip color (Rio et al., 2020) due to their higher durability against light and heat, bet- ter setting capacity, and larger size—all of which make their removal more dicult. Batool A. Aljubran College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University Kirstin E. Ross, PhD College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University Ula N. Alexander, PhD College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University Claire E. Lenehan, PhD College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University
Abstract Permanent body art has grown in popularity in recent years, with millions of individuals having black/monochrome or colorful tattoos. With this decision to get a tattoo comes risk: Injecting coloring compounds into the skin has been reported to cause allergies, skin inflammation, and systemic disorders. Despite the growing number of tattooed individuals, there are currently few regulations, laws, and safety criteria for tattoo and permanent cosmetic formulations. The goal of our study was to identify the pigments in a set of commercially available yellow tattoo inks. We examined a set of previously unstudied yellow tattoo inks: lemon yellow (LY), golden yellow (GY), golden rod (GR), and bright orange (BO). We also examined reference pigments: pigment yellow 14 (PY14), pigment yellow 65 (PY65), pigment blue 15 (PB15), and pigment orange 13 (PO13). Both sets of inks were examined using a range of techniques, including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray diraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). We report that the combined use of these techniques can provide major insights into ink composition without needing dicult and time-consuming sample preparation. Results of our study indicate that the ink compositions diered from what was described on the labels. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the tattoo inks tested included additional elements that were not listed as ingredients, such as aluminium (Al), sodium (Na), and silicon (Si). These unlabeled ingredients raise concerns about the regulation, health eects, and degradation products of tattoo inks. Keywords: tattoo ink, pigment yellow, chemical analysis, safety regulations
Introduction Body decoration by tattooing has increased in popularity in the last 10 years. It has been reported that 40% of young adults in the U.S.
and 25% of adults in Australia have at least one tattoo (Chalmers et al., 2019; Heywood et al., 2012; Lichnyi et al., 2021; Niederer et al., 2018). Tattoo ink suspensions can con-
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Volume 88 • Number 2
https://doi.org/10.70387/001c.143999
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