Tattoo paint ban from January: the end of colorful tattoos?

Created: 12/20/2021Updated: 12/20/2021, 7:22 PM

According to the new Europe-wide REACH regulation, a large part of the colorful tattoo inks may no longer be used from January 4, 2022.

© DC_2 / Imago Images

Tattoo lovers will be banned: The EU will soon be banning substances that are contained in almost all tattoo inks.

Is the REACH regulation the end of colorful works of art?

Gießen - In the meantime, body art is no longer a niche topic: According to a survey by the Ipsos Institute in 2019, every fifth German has a tattoo. Very soon, however, a lot will change for tattoo artists and their customers, because a new EU regulation will then ban important ingredients in tattoo inks.

The so-called REACH regulation of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will apply from January 4, 2022.

It was issued to protect people and the environment from the risks that chemicals can pose.

REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals.

The regulation applies throughout the European Union and therefore also throughout Germany.

Tattoo inks are said to pose such a risk, for example by causing allergies or genetic mutations and cancer, according to ECHA.

The REACH regulation has an impact on tattoos: 4000 ingredients are affected

The REACH regulation affects around 4000 substances for cosmetics. This also includes nail polish or eye shadow. Not all of these substances are contained in tattoo inks, but little research is done and they are therefore potentially dangerous, explains the ECHA. However, it is unclear how harmful tattoo inks actually are. "To find out more, one would have to resort to animal experiments, mainly with pigs," explains Urban Slamal, lawyer and chairman of the Bundesverband Tattoo eV, the association of German tattooists, opposite sueddeutsche.de. "Since tattoo inks more or less swim along with cosmetics in this area, there are quite large hurdles here due to the regulations on animal welfare."

According to the new Europe-wide REACH regulation, a large part of the colorful tattoo inks may no longer be used from January 4, 2022. © Riccardo Fabi / Imago Images

Specifically, this means: According to the current status, tattooists in the EU will no longer be able to use a large part of their colors from next January. A year later, the noose for artists who specialize in color tattoos, tightened even further: From January 2023, the pigments Blue 15: 3 and Green 7, which are used for two thirds of the bright colors, will also be banned. Especially without the shade of blue, colorful tattoos will be more or less impossible if no equivalent substitute is found by then, says Slamal. Only a few black, white and gray tones then still meet the requirements of the ordinances and can be used safely. This meets with criticism and even more uncertainty among tattoo artists.During the lockdown phases, as body-friendly service providers with their studios, they were among the facilities that were usually only allowed to reopen at the very end - many lost their livelihoods as a result.

Tattoo paint ban: There is a lack of alternatives - only black, white, gray allowed in the future?

What's the alternative?

According to Slamal, the mostly US paint manufacturers have so far shown little interest in adapting to the new directive.

Until the regulation comes into force, there is nothing more to be done, says the chairman of the Federal Tattoo Association: "Market-simplifying and consumer protection measures are great, but if so, please do the right thing, not ignoring all technical objections.

It's like an oil tanker under full steam, you can't stop it so quickly. "

In the meantime, a few manufacturers offer REACH-compliant colors, others have announced such.

However, these are already sold out and their quality and durability have not been tested.

It is completely unclear whether the colors will still look beautiful under the skin in a few years.

As reported by sueddeutsche.de, there are initiatives against REACH: The German Federal Association has short-circuited with a Brussels law firm that is supposed to check what is still legally possible.

The Copenhagen-based European Society for Tattoo and Pigment Research had officially asked the European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly for a legal review of the regulation.

Tattoo inks ban in the EU: initiatives and online petitions on the rise

On the online petition page of the European Parliament there is an initiative entitled “Save the Pigments”, which states that the regulation “cannot be in the spirit of the European Community, as it does not protect the self-employed or consumers”. Switching to third countries would encourage undeclared work and reduce tax revenues. The initiators of the petition, Michael Dirks and Erich Mähnert, want to prevent the ban by the ECHA because it is based on a suspicion: “The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment published a statement on September 8, 2020 that currently available data is only based on indicate a comparatively low toxicity. It therefore sees no need for action to ban the pigments.This statement by the advisory institution for consumer protection of the German federal government clearly shows that the ban was determined on the basis of insufficient data and, moreover, without the involvement of the industry concerned, ”said Dirk's statement.

As reported by feelfarbig.de, Dirks and Mähnert have submitted a motion for a resolution that they would like to introduce to the EU Parliament.

This is intended to ensure that the REACH regulation is adapted in accordance with the current scientific data.

The regulation in its current form is to be stopped for the time being, along with its consequences for the tattoo market.

(laf)