JRC studies tattoo safety
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published a study aiming to find scientific evidence to decide if the EU can ensure the safety of inks and processes used in tattoos.
Tattoos are becoming more and more popular in the EU, with an increase of tattooed persons from 5% in 2003 to 12% in 2016 and at least half of these having more than one.
The new JRC report explores the safety and regulation of the inks used for tattoos and permanent makeup.
There is no current specific EU legislation on tattoos or permanent/semipermanent makeup products. They fall, like any other consumer products, under the 2001/95/EC Directive on General Product Safety (GPSD), which stipulates that only safe products may be placed on the market.
Enhancing the safety of tattoos could include Good Manufacturing Practices for manufacturing tattoo/permanent makeup inks, guidelines for their risk assessment, and harmonised analytical methods and information campaigns on the risks for tattooists and their customers.
Most inks are imported from the US, while permanent makeup is generally produced in Europe. Each contains numerous ingredients as well as colourants and additives. The pigments are not necessarily produced for tattoo and permanent makeup applications, and generally contain impurities.
A significant proportion of the colourants in use (60%) can release carcinogenic aromatic amines, the study reports. This can be the result of a degradation process in the skin, particularly under solar/ultra violet radiation exposure or laser irradiation.
The findings of this JRC report, as well as two previous reports, on trends in tattoo practices and on legislative framework and analytical methods, will be used by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to prepare a possible restriction proposal in the framework of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation following a request from the European Commission.
Click here to download the report in full.
