Coloured ink is to be banned in the EU from this week.
The European Union announced last year that it was banning 4,000 chemicals often used in colourful tattoo ink.
The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) stated that the decision was taken due to the fact that the chemicals, some of which are already banned for the use on top of the skin, can cause cancer or other 'genetic mutations'.
Since the ban was announced, EU officials have been heavily criticised by tattoo artists over the effect it will have on their businesses.
Suppliers have been given until Tuesday (4 January) to procure alternative chemicals to create coloured ink.
Artists have complained that supply issues have meant they have been unable to get hold of the correct ink in order to carry on with business as usual and fulfil appointments.
Despite the criticism, though, REACH says the aim of the ban is not to hinder the industry but to 'make the colours used in tattoos and permanent make-up safer'.
Speaking about the ban, Belgian artist Marjorie Petit, who works at the Duck Art Tattoo parlour in Mechelen, said she has had to refuse customers because of a lack of stock.
She told Politico: "We now every week get messages from manufacturers that they’re working on it, but the communication about that is not quite transparent.
"So they say it’s coming, it’s coming… But when?"
According to reports, businesses are particularly perturbed by the loss of Pigment Blue 15:3 and Pigment Green 7, which are popular choices.
REACH has given manufacturers until 4 January, 2023 to find replacements for these inks.
Critics argue that the ban will almost certainly have a negative impact on businesses right across the EU.
They claim that it will damage the 'economic competitiveness of European tattooists and pigmenters vis-à-vis providers outside the EU, and would seriously jeopardize the very existence of this profession'.
And it's feared that those who are determined to get coloured tattoos will do so no matter what the ban says, and could potentially look to black market suppliers or 'backyard artists' instead.
While some research has been done into the effects of the chemicals in the ink, there is no scientific consensus on the matter.
According to reports, some chemicals have been found to be carcinogenic (can cause cancer), but it's been argued that this is merely 'coincidental'.
Researchers at Sweden's Lund University are currently investigation whether having tattoos is linked to increased cancer risk, with a report due to be published at the end of the year.
Topics: Health
Dominic Smithers