What’s tattoo ink made from?

Unfortunately, there are still no legal requirements or standardized recipes, on either a national or international level. For this reason there could literally be anything used to create the ink.

Usually this solution would be one or two of the following chemicals;

Ethyl alcohol. Distilled water. Denatured alcohols. Methanol.

Rubbing alcohol. Propylene glycol. Glycerine.

The carriers have the fortunate side effect of helping to reduce the risks of infection by sterilizing the skin on the way through. Homemade inks will normally use vodka as a carrier which also will reduce the potential for infection, although it can affect the blood alcohol level as it crosses into the bloodstream.

The widely accepted practice of using heavy metals in order to derive pigment is still current today, as no safer, suitable alternatives have been found. Many of the synthetic chemicals used for commercial colourings are simply too risky to use internally. Below is a list of the metals and minerals still commonly used in order to create your inks;