Overview
Cwielag-Drabek and colleagues measured 12 trace elements in 41 tattoo and permanent makeup ink products available to European consumers after the 2022 REACH restrictions took effect. The source is direct product-occurrence evidence for tattoo inks and related permanent makeup pigments: the authors report finished-ink concentrations in mg/kg, identify EU-limit exceedances, and model dermal exposure scenarios. Mercury was not detected above the 0.008 mg/kg LOQ in any sample, while copper, nickel, arsenic, chromium, and lead drove the main compliance and risk findings.
Key numbers
- Sample frame: 41 commercially available inks, including 27 tattoo inks, 9 dual tattoo/permanent-makeup inks, and 5 permanent makeup inks. Products were purchased within the EU, mainly via EU-based distributors and online stores, between 2022 and 2023.
- Analytes measured: lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), Zn, chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), Cu, arsenic (As), Co, Sb, Se, Mn, and mercury (Hg).
- Mercury: no sample exceeded the 0.008 mg/kg LOQ; the authors state that no Hg was detected in any analyzed ink.
- Concentrations above LOQ were reported for Pb in 5 samples (average 2.81 mg/kg), Cd in 10 samples, Zn in 20 samples (average 38.81 mg/kg), Cr in all 41 samples (average 58.97 mg/kg), Ni in 24 samples (average 62.98 mg/kg), Cu in 35 samples (average 1751.01 mg/kg), As in 20 samples (average 20.06 mg/kg), Co in 6 samples (average 44.14 mg/kg), Sb in 8 samples (average 16.03 mg/kg), Se in 3 samples (average 18.49 mg/kg), and Mn in 9 samples (average 169.13 mg/kg).
- Table 5 descriptive statistics for all samples, in mg/kg: Pb mean 2.81 and max 7.83; Cd mean 0.13 and max 0.34; Zn mean 38.81 and max 202.18; Cr mean 58.97 and max 246.39; Ni mean 62.98 and max 207.33; Cu mean 1751.01 and max 25,700.80; As mean 20.06 and max 53.57; Co mean 44.14 and max 76.00; Sb mean 16.03 and max 21.26; Se mean 18.49 and max 21.31; Mn mean 169.13 and max 1089.81.
- EU-limit exceedances were recorded for Ni in 24 samples, As in 20, assumed Cr(VI) in 16, Cu in 10, Sb in 8, Co in 6, Pb in 5, and Se in 3. The authors report no exceedances for Hg, Cd, or Zn; no manganese standard was evaluated.
- Permanent makeup subset: 2 of 5 samples exceeded Pb limits; all 5 exceeded the Ni limit; 2 exceeded Co limits; and 2 exceeded the assumed Cr(VI) limit.
- Tattoo-ink subset: 3 samples exceeded Pb limits, 12 exceeded assumed Cr(VI), 8 exceeded Cu, 8 exceeded Sb, 4 exceeded Co, and all samples with quantifiable Ni and As exceeded the applicable limits.
Methods (brief)
The authors analyzed sealed commercial ink products using approximately 0.1 g of ink per sample after shaking. Samples were microwave-mineralized with perchloric, hydrochloric, and hydrofluoric acids. Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, inorganic As, Co, Sb, Se, and Mn were measured by ICP-OES; Cd and Pb were measured by ET-AAS; and Hg was measured by cold-vapor AFS.
Reported LOQs were Pb 0.80 mg/kg, Cd 0.08 mg/kg, Zn 7.80 mg/kg, Cr 3.68 mg/kg, Ni 7.40 mg/kg, Cu 5.03 mg/kg, As 10.95 mg/kg, Co 3.30 mg/kg, Sb 11.58 mg/kg, Se 14.00 mg/kg, Mn 2.35 mg/kg, and Hg 0.008 mg/kg. The laboratory used element-specific calibration standards and standard-addition recovery checks.
Chromium speciation is the main interpretation constraint. The authors state that ICP-OES does not determine chromium species, then treat measured total chromium as Cr(VI) for risk assessment because REACH tattoo-ink limits apply to Cr(VI). The source therefore supports total chromium occurrence directly and Cr(VI)-based risk/compliance only as the authors’ conservative assumption.
Implications
Microbiome: No microbiome-specific findings.
Related evidence
- Tattoo inks (permanent and temporary)
- Makeup — body/leg paints, bases, fixatives (including airbrush)
- Lead
- Cadmium
- Chromium
- Chromium, Hexavalent
- Nickel
- Copper
- Arsenic, Inorganic
- Antimony
- Mercury, Total
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