Blue Ink Tattoo - is it Safe? | Tattooing 101 (2024)

Blue ink is extremely common in tattooing - but is it safe? And can an all-blue tattoo really stand the test of time like black ink?

Though blue has been used in tattooing for decades, there has recently been controversy about whether it should be considered safe for use in tattooing.

Blue ink contains azo pigments, which can cause cancer when they’re broken down (either by bacteria or laser removal).

However, in its original state, the blue ink itself isn’t considered too dangerous to use, which is why artists are trying to fight the ink bans currently happening in Europe.

The tattoo ink ban is meant to get rid of the potentially dangerous pigment used to make blue, but it’s also in lots of other ink colors including purples, browns, greens, and most colors other than red and black.

Tattoo ink is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and there isn’t a lot of data out there about the long-term effects of tattoo ink in the skin.

Some blue pigments, like cobalt and ultramarine, are not considered as safe as pigments made with copper salts. Because of this, many countries are banning those ingredients.

In December 2020, the European Union banned the use of many of the chemicals used to make tattoo ink. Two of those colors were Blue 15:3 and Green 7.

Though the European Union has banned the use of these pigments due to potential toxicity and concerns about cancer, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment studied the banned pigments and found that their toxicity levels were very low.

These conflicting ideas have caused controversy in the tattooing community.

Blue 15:3 and Green 7 are both very common pigments used to make a variety of inks. Banning these pigments would limit tattooers access to a lot of ink colors, making certain tattoo styles much more difficult to pull off.

Many tattoo artists in Europe and around the world are fighting the ban on these pigments because:

• There’s a lack of evidence that these pigments are harmful
• The impact their absence will have on the industry is huge

Blue tattoo ink has also been under fire because many artists have used it for line work, while other tattooers say it won’t hold up over time.

While a dark blue - like navy - will last as line work for a while, black ink is going to last the longest. This is because black ink creates the most contrast against the skin.

Though there is currently controversy about blue tattoo ink, it’s still available and legal to use. Studies have found that blue pigments have low toxicity and that they can stand the test of time.

Tattoos using only shades of blue are gaining popularity. Here are some design ideas for all blue tattoos:

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