soon deprived of color ink, professionals are stepping up to the plate

From Tuesday, January 4, around twenty inks and around fifty chemical components, considered toxic to health, will be banned from tattoo artists. “Basically, we have to learn to change all our raw material, which absolutely does not happen to any profession”, laments Rudy d’Hollander, tattoo artist. The decision was taken by the European Commission, following a report by the European Chemicals Agency, which states that the inks are carcinogenic and corrosive to the skin. “All these dangerous chemicals are already banned in all member states, including cosmetics”, explains Sonya Gospodinova, spokesperson for the European Commission.

European professionals in the sector are contesting the decision. A petition has already collected more than 175,000 signatures. In France, a tattoo artist from Rouen, Mikki Bold, is leading the dispute on social networks. According to him, the ban would be disproportionate in relation to the risks involved. “These are products that have been used for 30 years. Apart from a few cases of allergies which are mostly mild, there are absolutely no serious side effects that could be noted.”, he assures.