Tattoo ink is made up of two parts: a carrier and a colorant. The carrier is a fluid that contains liquids such as glycerin, water, isopropyl alcohol, or witch hazel, which are used to transport the colorant to the injection site. Other carrier ingredients may contain dangerous substances like antifreeze, formaldehyde, methanol, and other aldehydes. The colorant is made up of more than 200 colorants and additives used to produce tattoo inks. Most standard tattoo ink colors are derived from heavy metals, including antimony, beryllium, lead, cobalt-nickel, chromium, and arsenic. Other additives include surfactants, binding agents, fillers, and preservatives. Tattoo inks may contain industrial organic, mineral, vegetable-based, and plastic-based pigments. Pigments can be small bits of solids or discrete molecules, such as titanium dioxide or iron oxide. Some tattoo inks may be produced using animal products, such as bone char, hoof gelatin, beetle shellac, etc. .

The ink is made by combining pigments with carriers such as ethyl alcohol or distilled water to create liquid inks. The ink may include preservatives to reduce the risk of contamination and other additives to adjust the viscosity of the ink. Many tattoo inks contain pigments originally manufactured for industrial purposes, such as dyeing textiles, automotive paint, or for printers ink.

It is important to note that tattoo inks are unregulated in the U.S., and the components of the inks are largely a mystery. Even when these products include an ingredient label, the lists often aren’t accurate. The tattoo ink market is not regulated in any way, and there’s no oversight being offered, unless there’s some kind of issue with bacterial contamination.