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Bacteria Found In Multiple Tattoo Ink Brands, Study Suggests: What To Know About Tattoo Ink Infections

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Bacteria Found In Multiple Tattoo Ink Brands, Study Suggests: What To Know About Tattoo Ink Infections

Topline

Over a third of 75 tattoo and permanent makeup inks from popular brands tested positive for bacteria in a new study, regardless of sterility claims, and the FDA has increasingly warned about tattoo ink-related infections after reports of adverse events have grown over the years.

Key Facts

The researchers tested 75 tattoo and permanent makeup inks from 14 popular brands for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, according to the new study published Tuesday in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Aerobic bacteria are bacteria that live and grow when oxygen is present, while anaerobic bacteria survive and grow when there is no oxygen present, and thrive in injured human tissue and the dermal layer of the skin.

They discovered around 35% of the tested inks—which were sealed and unopened—were contaminated with both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, according to the study.

Over half of the inks’ labels had sterility claims, but the researchers found the inks had bacteria contamination regardless of whether the product labels indicated they were sterile, meaning the sterilization process is ineffective or the claims are inaccurate.

Although the most common tattoo-related adverse complications are allergic and inflammatory reactions, microbial infections are also an adverse event; it was previously thought the main source of infection was improper hygiene, but more recent studies have suggested contaminated tattoo ink may also be the culprit.

Big Number

32%. That’s how many Americans have at least one tattoo, with around 22% having two or more, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

Crucial Quote

“The rising popularity of tattooing in recent years has coincided with an increase in tattoo-related complications or adverse reactions,” Dr. Seong-Jae Kim, study author and a microbiologist with the Food and Drug Administration’s National Center for Toxicological Research, said in a statement. “In addition to microbial infections, immunologic complications such as inflammatory reactions and allergic hypersensitivity, as well as toxic responses, represent a significant portion of these issues.”

What Types Of Bacteria Were Found In The Tattoo Ink?

The researchers discovered 34 different types of bacteria in the ink samples. Some of the most commonly found bacteria include:

Is Contaminated Tattoo Ink Dangerous?

The FDA said in 2023 it has been receiving an uptick in reports of infections and allergic reactions from contaminated tattoo ink. Adverse reactions may include redness, bumps and a rash. More severe reactions can cause a fever, shaking, chills and sweats. Treatment for these kinds of infections can range from antibiotics to hospitalization and surgery. The most common types of tattoo-related infections are bacterial skin infections like staphylococcus, according to WebMD. Multiple product recalls were issued in 2012 and 2019 due to bacteria-infected tattoo ink causing outbreaks of skin infections.

Is Tattoo Ink Fda Regulated?

The FDA considers tattoo and permanent makeup inks to be cosmetics. The pigments used in the inks are color additives, and aren’t typically regulated by the FDA because of “other competing public health priorities and a previous lack of evidence of safety problems specifically associated with these pigments.” However, the inks can be subject to oversight by the FDA, though the actual practice of tattooing is regulated by local authorities.

What To Watch For

Kim and his team plan on doing additional research on developing more efficient microbial detection methods for tattoo inks. They also plan to conduct research to further the understanding of microbial contamination in tattoo and permanent makeup inks.

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