The two parts of tattoo ink: pigment and carrier

Every tattoo ink, whatever the colour, is made of two things.

The pigment is the part that gives the tattoo its colour, and it's the part that stays in your skin. Pigments are tiny solid particles that don't dissolve. They fall into two broad families:

• Inorganic pigments, which are mineral-based. Carbon black (a purified form of soot), titanium dioxide (white) and iron oxides (earthy reds, browns and blacks) are the best-known examples.
• Organic pigments, which are synthetic, carbon-based colourants. These include azo pigments (bright reds, oranges and yellows), quinacridones (reds and violets) and phthalocyanines (blues and greens). Many of them were originally developed for industrial uses like paints, plastics and printing.

The carrier is the liquid the pigment is suspended in. Its job is to keep the particles evenly mixed, help the ink flow smoothly through the needle and carry the pigment into the skin. Carriers are commonly water-based, often with ingredients such as glycerine, witch hazel or alcohol. Unlike the pigment, the carrier doesn't stay: it is absorbed and cleared by the body as the tattoo heals.

What this means for you:

1. The pigment decides how your tattoo looks in ten years. Colour, fading and how the ink behaves under a laser all come down to the pigment.
2. A reaction can come from either part. It might be the pigment itself, trace impurities in it (iron oxides, for example, can carry traces of metals like nickel), or an ingredient in the carrier.
3. Quality and purity matter. Two inks sold as "red" can be very different products depending on which pigment is used and how carefully it's made.

The palette

Colour by colour

Tattoo inks vary between brands, so treat this guide as typical rather than universal. For each colour you'll see what it usually contains today, what the old-school version contained, and one thing worth knowing. Choosing colours for a new design? Our guide to choosing the right palette for your next piece covers that side.

Black

Typical pigments today

Carbon black (usually a purified grade), sometimes with iron oxide

Old-school version

Soot, charcoal, bone char and India ink, often of inconsistent purity

Worth knowing

The most stable colour, with the best retention and the lowest rate of allergic reactions. Quality still matters, as lower-grade carbon can contain impurities. Diluted black creates grey wash shading.

White

Typical pigments today

Titanium dioxide, sometimes zinc oxide

Old-school version

Lead white (lead carbonate) and barium sulphate

Worth knowing

One of the least reactive whites, and great for highlights and brightening other colours. It usually heals softer and subtler than it looks fresh, and rarely stays crisp over the years.

Red

Typical pigments today

Azo pigments (such as naphthol reds), quinacridone, or iron oxide for earthier reds

Old-school version

Cinnabar (mercury sulphide), cadmium-based reds and plant dyes such as brazilwood

Worth knowing

The colour most often linked to allergic reactions in the medical literature. Modern reds are a big step up from mercury and cadmium, but if you have sensitive skin, discuss red with your artist first.

Orange

Typical pigments today

Azo pigments, either a single orange or a red and yellow blend

Old-school version

Cadmium-based oranges

Worth knowing

Part of the same azo family as many reds and yellows, so similar sensitivity considerations apply. Vibrant when fresh, but can be less lightfast than darker colours.

Yellow

Typical pigments today

Azo pigments (monoazo and arylide yellows)

Old-school version

Cadmium sulphide, lead chromate, ochre and turmeric-based dyes

Worth knowing

Translucent, so it can look subtle on healed skin and often needs a lighter or darker colour beside it for contrast. Also one of the colours more commonly associated with skin reactions.

Green

Typical pigments today

Phthalocyanine green (copper-based), and in some inks chromium oxide for a muted, earthy green

Old-school version

Chromium oxide, lead chromate, malachite and ferrocyanide compounds

Worth knowing

Phthalocyanine greens are vivid and very stable. Chromium is a known contact allergen, so if you have a chromium allergy, ask whether a green contains it.

Blue

Typical pigments today

Copper phthalocyanine (phthalo blue)

Old-school version

Cobalt-based blues, azurite and lapis lazuli

Worth knowing

Modern phthalo blues are stable and hold their colour well. Cobalt is a recognised allergen, which is one reason cobalt blues are less common today. Blue seen through skin tends to look cooler and deeper than on the palette.

Purple

Typical pigments today

Dioxazine and quinacridone violets, or blends of blue and red pigments

Old-school version

Manganese violet and cobalt-based purples

Worth knowing

Often a blend, so each component can age differently. A purple can drift in tone over time as the less stable pigment fades first.

Brown

Typical pigments today

Iron oxides (ochre, umber), or a mix of red, yellow and black

Old-school version

Raw sienna, ochre and burnt umber

Worth knowing

Iron oxides are durable and generally low-reactivity, so earthy browns tend to age gracefully. Purity is still what keeps trace metals out of the pigment.

How colours are mixed

Most tattoo colours are not a single pigment. Like paint, a shade is usually a blend, whether it's mixed by the ink manufacturer or by your artist at the station.

• Lightening: White (titanium dioxide) is added to make a colour paler and more opaque, which is how pastels and soft pinks are made. A diluting solution can also be used to lighten a colour without making it chalky.
• Darkening and muting: A touch of black deepens a colour, and mixing in a bit of the opposite colour tones it down.
• Blending: Red and yellow make orange, blue and yellow make green, and so on. Skin-tone shades are often blends of several pigments.
• Grey wash: Black diluted to different strengths creates smooth gradients of grey.

Why this matters if you have allergies: a single custom shade can contain three or more pigments, so a sensitivity to one ingredient may show up in several colours. If you have a known allergy, ask your artist which pigments make up the shades in your design.

Why colours fade

Even a perfectly done tattoo changes over time. Several things are at work:

• Your immune system. Tattoo pigment particles sit in the dermis, the layer beneath the surface. Immune cells constantly take up some of those particles, and a fraction of the ink is carried away over time.
• Sunlight. UV light breaks down pigments, and organic colours (bright reds, oranges, yellows) are generally less lightfast than carbon black or iron oxides. Sun is the biggest everyday cause of fading.
• The pigment itself. Dense, stable particles like carbon black stay put. Lighter and brighter pigments tend to soften first.
• Where it is on your body. Hands, fingers, feet, and areas that rub against clothing fade faster than protected areas.
• Healing and aftercare. Picking scabs, soaking too early or sun exposure on a fresh tattoo can all lead to patchy healing and lost colour.
• Skin ageing. As skin changes over the years, so does the way a tattoo looks.

The most effective way to slow fading is simple: follow your aftercare instructions, keep the tattoo moisturised, and once it's healed, use a high-factor sunscreen whenever it's exposed. Touch-ups are normal for colour work, too.

What happens to each pigment under the laser

Laser removal works by sending very short pulses of light into the skin, shattering ink particles into pieces small enough for the body to clear gradually. The catch is that each pigment absorbs light differently, so colours need different laser wavelengths. This is also why removal is never a one-size-fits-all process, and why it should be done by a trained professional.

• Black and dark inks absorb almost every wavelength, so they respond best and fastest. The 1064 nm wavelength is the workhorse here.
• Dark blue and dark green respond well to the red-end wavelengths (694 nm or 755 nm), though lighter shades like turquoise and light green are harder to clear.
• Red, orange and brown absorb green light, so they're typically treated with the 532 nm wavelength. These colours can sometimes darken after treatment, which makes them trickier.
• Purple is usually a blend of blue and red components, so it often needs more than one wavelength.
• Yellow reflects much of the visible spectrum rather than absorbing it, so it tends to be stubborn.
• White is the hardest. Titanium dioxide can turn grey or blue-black when lasered, and no laser reliably clears pure white ink.

The pattern is clear: black and dark colours are the most forgiving, while white, yellow and pastels are the hardest to remove. If you think you might want a cover-up or removal one day, that's useful to know before you choose your palette. And as always, results vary from person to person, with session counts depending on the ink, depth and your skin.

The bottom line

Tattoo ink has come a very long way. The soot, cinnabar, lead and cadmium of the old days have given way to purpose-made pigments, purified and manufactured for the job, and rules around what's allowed in ink continue to tighten. That doesn't make tattooing risk-free, and as we saw in Part 1, research is still evolving. But it does mean you're in a far better position than any previous generation of tattooed people.

The best thing you can do is go in informed. Know that different colours behave differently, ask what's in the ink you're getting, tell your artist about any allergies or sensitive skin, look after the tattoo while it heals, and protect it from the sun afterwards. A good studio will welcome those questions.