Tattoo parlors and tattoo artist organizations are up in arms all across the European Union as a new rule banning certain inks has come into force. The new legislation effectively bans several popular inks used for tattooing.
The legislation, which applies to all EU countries, limits the distribution, sale, and use of certain tattoo inks that contain "hazardous" chemicals. The legislation claims that some of the chemicals in the inks have been linked to certain cancers, skin irritation, and having reproductive side effects.
The law was originally proposed in December 2020, but the tattoo industry was given around 12 months to find alternative ink pigments before the ban would be imposed. Tattoo artists said that some of the alternative pigments still do not exist or are in extremely short supply.
The imposition of the new rules is expected to deal a major blow to the industry, which is still reeling from the months of repeated lockdowns and movement restrictions.
SNAT, a tattoo industry union in France, said that the ban is akin to taking "flour from a bakery." The group said that rules would make it difficult for tattoo parlors to operate as they now have no access to certain colors or inks.
Tin-Tin, a famous tattoo artist that heads the union, described the new legislation as "stupid." He added that such legislation would only end up driving customers to shady parlors that do not follow EU regulations.
The European Commission said it would go ahead with the implementation of the ban, given that artists had had over a year to prepare. The commission said that it had already granted a time extension for two particular pigments.
The Tattoo Belgium association has called on the EU commission to provide more time for the industry, given how the COVID-19 pandemic had affected their efforts to search for alternative inks and suppliers.
Gwenaelle Reaume, the secretary of the Belgian association, said she doesn't understand the logic behind the new legislation. She said that companies place all kinds of harmful chemicals in food, and regulators are now instead of coming after tattoo ink.
The European Chemicals Agency had led the research into the potentially hazardous chemicals used in tattoo inks. The agency claims that around 12% of the people living in EU countries have tattoos. This equates to about 54 million people.
EU officials said they are now working to standardize the implementation of the new legislation across the entire bloc by setting maximum concentration limits for certain chemicals found in tattoo inks.
