Since the EU began enforcing REACH restrictions on hazardous tattoo pigments, manufacturers and artists have scrambled to reformulate inks or withdraw shades that cannot meet the stricter impurity limits. The 2022–2023 restrictions targeted specific pigments and groups of hazardous impurities (PAHs, certain azo by-products), and ongoing enforcement and testing campaigns have revealed non-compliant products still circulating — creating supply problems and higher costs for studios while pushing research into safer, REACH-compliant pigments. Some major industrial ink makers have warned the cost of consistent compliance is high; smaller boutique suppliers face the hardest choice: invest in traceable supply chains or exit affected colors.
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