Can You Use Regular Tattoo Ink for Permanent Makeup?

Permanent make-up pigments are specially designed to be safe for use on delicate skin, producing natural results and fading naturally over time. Although pigments and tattoo inks are similar, there are several reasons why tattoo inks should not be used in PMU procedures.

Read on for 3 key differences between tattoo inks and permanent makeup inks.

Tattoo inks and PMU pigments do share some basic ingredients, but since semi-permanent makeup falls into the category of cosmetics, the ingredients used are strictly regulated to minimize the risk of allergic reactions.

It's also important to remember that the skin on the face is much more fragile compared to the rest of the body - people can apply permanent makeup to the skin of the lips or eyelids, so the ingredients in the paint need to account for that.

Most permanent cosmetic pigments are based on iron oxide, an ingredient found in traditional cosmetics. This ingredient is considered one of the safest and most stable colorants - it's non-toxic, and allergic reactions are almost unheard of.

Tattoo inks have a higher concentration of pigments than PMU, which means colors often appear bolder, brighter, and clearer. Permanent makeup pigments have much smaller particles than tattoo inks, which means the healing effect looks softer and more natural--perfect for replicating brow strokes or subtle lip blush. This is also one of the main reasons why PMU pigments gradually fade over time, while traditional tattoo inks are more used for permanent body art and are difficult to remove.

There are also differences in the way tattoo inks and pigments are applied to the skin. Tattoo artists use coils or rotating machines to penetrate ink deep into the skin, leaving a permanent design.

PMU artists tend to only use rotary machines because it uses a finer needle that allows for greater precision (or a hand tool microblade.) This technique is much gentler and can help reduce irritation to the skin when dealing with sensitive areas of facial trauma. The pigment placement is also not as deep compared to the tattooing process, so the result will naturally fade over time.

Due to the biological structure of the face, the sensitivity of the skin, and the desired effect, permanent makeup artists should not use regular tattoo inks for permanent makeup - they should only use permanent makeup pigments in their treatments! Pigments are not only safer to use but are carefully designed and formulated to allow artists to create the most natural-looking results that complement the client's skin tone.

At Charming Tattoo, we offer the best permanent makeup inks and pigments for those well-known brands that work in the permanent makeup industry. If you also need to buy these, please contact us.

Charming Tattoo is a leading custom PMU and tattoo tools and inks manufacturer. Our R&D engineers have 20 years of experience in the development of permanent makeup inks and micro-scratch pigments. We have professional production equipment and a 100,000-level dust-free workshop in line with ISO9001 standards. We provide a professional product, packaging, and post-design, as well as professional pigment knowledge support.