House Draft and Senate Bill intended to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

Ever After Pigments is a proud member of Coalition for Tattoo Safety, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to marry all aspects of the tattoo industry together, under a unified voice, to effectively establish common sense industry guidelines and contribute to the continuing education of manufacturers, tattoo professionals as well as consumers.

The most recent challenge the tattoo industry is facing is the House Draft and the Senate Bill intended to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ensure the safety of cosmetics. By definition, the FDA considers the act of tattooing as a cosmetic procedure. The bills are written to address concerns affecting the tattoo industry. Within the tattoo industry, both artists and manufacturers, disagree with this definition of tattooing. Tattooing has evolved a long way during the last four decades with countless innovations and improved materials and procedures. Regardless, it was just a matter of time until legislative oversight would step in to monitor an industry involving human health and safety.

The FDA currently recognizes and accepts a list of cosmetic color additives petitioned during the last 80 years. The tattoo industry was not involved with the existing FDA guidelines for cosmetic color additives because the cosmetic industry is viewed by the tattoo arts as a separate industry from the tattoo industry. It wasn’t until recently that tattoo pigment manufacturers were aware of the stipulations the FDA has set for color additives. The proposed list of cosmetic color additives the FDA suggests be used for tattooing will NOT produce a successful tattoo. FDA color additives are essentially a dye. Dyes do not have a particle size that can be placed safely into the body for tattooing. Dyes will not stay in the dermal layer of skin where traditional tattoo pigments can lay dormant, thus creating a tattoo. FDA color additives/dyes often contain higher trace metals and can also include compounds not traditionally found in tattoo pigments. The only known method of creating a dye with the permanence of tattoo ink is to add metals and other fillers to the dye. During their Washington visits, the CTS warned staffers this approach should not be adopted for tattooing.

For more information and to learn how you can help go to https://coalitionfortattoosafety.org/