Across the European Union, 12% of the population is tattooed. Since this first week of the year, the ban on a series of chemical substances deemed dangerous to health contained in certain tattoo inks or permanent makeup has come into force.
Mercury, nickel, chromium, cobalt, methanol, certain red, orange, yellow, violet and blue dyes...
These substances and dyes, now banned in the EU, may be carcinogenic, cause genetic mutations, affect reproductive capacities, cause skin allergies or other harmful effects on health. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) notes that ink pigments can “migrate from the skin to different organs, such as the lymph nodes and liver.” She also points out that harmful chemicals contained in inks can spread into the body during laser tattoo removal.
The regulation establishing the list of these prohibited or restricted substances was adopted in December 2020 and comes into force at the start of 2022. For most of these prohibited substances, there are alternatives on the market that are safe for health, according to the Commission.
 Pascal Lemontel
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06/01/2022 | 
