EU and Norway adopt new regulations for tattoo ink

Thousands of chemicals will be banned from being used in tattoo inks in the EU and Norway from January next year.

“The common European regulations that will be introduced will make it safer to get a tattoo throughout the EU after the most dangerous substances are banned. 

“These will be common rules that everyone in this industry throughout Europe must follow,” director Ellen Hambro in the Norwegian Environment Agency noted.

Norway was among the promoters of the proposal, together with Denmark, Italy, Germany, and the European Chemicals Agency ECHA.

The substances covered by the ban are already banned from use in cosmetics and are considered, among other things, carcinogenic. 

Labeling requirement

In order to increase consumers’ access to information, there will be a requirement to label tattoo products.

“The regulation does not imply a ban on tattoos. It will still be legal to use many different colors, but these should be safe to use. 

“The industry must now check whether they are using any of the banned substances. In that case, these must be replaced with safe alternatives,” Hambro added.

Only a few out of the 4,000 substances are now found in tattoo inks, but these are included in the proposal to avoid future use.

Two dyes will not be banned until January 2023 because they are particularly difficult to replace.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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